The hashtag #branding gets overplayed these days. Everything from a little desktop doodle to a Starbucks cup gets tagged! So what is the exact definition of branding or brand identity?

Local designer and typographer Daniel Gurwin joins us this week on the latest episode of The Carnage Podcast to provide some clarity.

Why should a marketer care what a designer has to say? Well believe it or not… your conversions count on it! Understanding that brand identity is more than a logo, and that it actually covers any visual representation of the brand, is essential to understanding marketing.

If your creative or copywriting is off-brand, there could be a massive disconnect with your customers.

Dan also explains best practices to communicate your needs to a designer to get quality results.

Here are a few of the gems we plucked out of the episode:

• (04:13) The brand identity is the logo, it’s the way typography is used, those fonts, the feel of those fonts, the color palette, the photo styling. Anything that’s a visual expression of the tone of that brand is brand identity. How that brand looks.
• (07:30) One of the most common mistakes in a creative brief is pointing directly to other brands and other logos and saying, “I would like something that looks like this.
• (13:21) What’s the number one thing to consider when hiring a designer? Be prepared to have a budget that reflects the amount of responsibility you want your designer to own. Not the amount of work you want them to do, or the amount of time you want them involved.
• (17:23) Speak candidly in business terms with your designer and be clear about your goals and expectations. Let them in on what you know, so they’re solving the same problem.

This interview drives home the need for clear communication and open collaboration if you want to achieve world-class work.

Instagram ain’t easy for businesses. We all know the stats about the platform, like the fact that there are nearly a Billion (with a capital B) daily active users.

But, how the heck do you actually use it for your business? And is it actually worth your time?

CoSchedule is coming to the rescue with answers to those questions, and more. We’ll jump right to it because we’ve got a lot to get through.

Let’s get this out of the way first…

It’s unlikely that Instagram is going to directly drive sales. The platform is much better for brand awareness, brand loyalty, and as a purchase influencer.

Now that we’ve got that sorted out, it’s time to start using Instagram. But when you’re just starting with it for your business, don’t post anything. Just observe. Follow and watch accounts like:

1. Your partner brands.
2. Influencers in your niche.
3. Brands you’re inspired by (both in your niche and not)
4. Your competitors. Nothing wrong with keeping tabs on them.

Now hold on. You still can’t start posting. Before you make a single post, you need to set your Instagram marketing goals, and create a place to track them. Without goals, you’ll have no place to start with a strategy. Speaking of which…

You also have to plan an Instagram content strategy. A super-short framework for that:

• Start with your story. What is your company’s vision? What’s the core idea behind your product? What do people love about your company? Those types of questions will help you define the story you’re going to tell on Insta.
• Understand which post types work for you. There are a lot of ways to go here. Try a variety of posts including: inspiration, company culture, product posts, event photos, useful stats, designed images.

Okay, it’s time to grow your audience and engagement. This could be a whole book on its own, but we want to highlight one idea: create an Instagram engagement pod. This is a group of companies who comment on and engage with each other’s content. It’s simple, but works really well. You can build a pod yourself, or have the Social Media Posse build one for you.

There is so, so much more to this. Read it all for more tips, inspiration, and examples from other companies.

If you’re the type of person who wakes up in the middle of the night to drive around until your dog falls back asleep, then Hyundai’s newest SUV is for you. Or, if you’re the type who wants to shuttle three aliens around, Hyundai’s got an SUV for you. If you’ve ever had to fit a giant stuffed monster into your back seat, well…you can guess where this is going.

Hyundai’s new #MakeQualityTime campaign recognizes that not all families are the same.

The commercials focus on families having a safe space within the Santa Fe SUV so that they can create quality, long-lasting memories…no matter how unordinary they may be.

The campaign includes five commercials, each taking a look at a different family. They’re all light hearted and spread nothing but positivity, and a few laughs. We positively love that combo.