Writing a good blog post is like making a sandwich you want to sell to somebody. You could slap any piece of meat between two slices of white bread and call it a day, but are you going to be attracting hungry people who are eager to see what you're serving? Probably not. It's when you add all of the intricate ingredients in between that you get something full of flavor (or in the context of marketing, something useful your customers will want to read!)
Everything you write should not only provide great content, but to help shape the image you want your brand to convey, as well as your authority on the topics you cover. As we all know, the first step to writing is having a great idea, and we're here to tell you that the best blog posts all contain a similar element: they have references from trusted sources which add to the credibility of the content. If you're not using credible sources (or any sources at all), your readers aren't going to be building long term trust with you, especially if you're just starting out.
What does this all mean? When writing a blog post, you can build more trust in your readership by quoting, referencing, and linking to other sources that are seen as industry experts. Useful information can be found in a variety of ways: through social media, from articles that are hidden beyond the first page of Google, or in studies or graphs put out by research companies in your field.
To get a better idea of the vast amount of ways in which you can go about finding credible sources to include in your blog content, the team at WhoIsHostingThis has put together an infographic with tons of juicy details on references.

Take a look at this infographic with tips on writing a good blog post:

There is a lot of discussion (and confusion) when it comes to the psychology of color in marketing. Many assume that a certain color will always be the correct choice for evoking a certain response from customers, but this isn't true! A ton of factors come into play that affect our individual preferences for colors, including our experiences, tastes, and upbringing. In other words, saying the color red makes everything energetic is about as accurate as saying all people like cherry licorice!
Rather than focusing on certain feelings, color can instead be used as a way for brands to offer certain perceptions in their products and branding. A study from Emerald Insight claims that 62-90% of our initial assessment of a product is based on color alone! Our brains analyze the colors of the product or brand we are viewing, and make a purchasing decision based on the appropriateness of the colors used. If they seem to "fit" the brand they are being used for, and add a favorable personality for us, we are more likely to be interested.

The psychology of color in marketing can be broken down into 5 dimensions:

When choosing colors, you want to predict how your customers will feel about the product or service you offer. For example, a company that specializes in house cleaning would want to give off the feeling of sincerity to their customers. When it comes to cleaning, a color such as brown makes most people think of dirt, which is why it wouldn't be appropriate. You want your brand's colors to support the personality you are trying to portray, and it can change depending on the situation!  If we were instead talking about sweets or desserts, brown would make us think of chocolate, perhaps falling under the "sophistication" category of being decadent and romantic.
As you can see, choosing colors for your brand is dependent on creating a mood and feeling that you want your customers to experience, instead of just shoehorning certain colors and assuming they always create certain emotions. Unless of course, you're talking about blue—it just so happens to be the most preferred color by both men and women!
What colors does your business use, and why? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!