Personal Branding | Small Business Branding

May 20, 2008 By Ed Roach

Do You Have A Magical Brand?

I just spent the last week with my wife walking the theme parks of Disney World. We haven’t been there in many years and a lot has changed. I have to admit that the Disney brand is alive and kicking in Florida. Where else do you see grown men and woman walking in public wearing various themed mouse ears and Goofy hats? At Disney World it seems perfectly suited to the atmosphere created there.

The Disney experience is essentially the audience immersed in theatre. The resort we stayed at welcomed you “home” upon entering the grounds and the entire cast consistently wished you to “have a magical day”. I was very impressed by this brand experience. One morning my wife and I went for a walk around the grounds and came upon the main gate from the outside. The guard came out, asking to see ID and once we were identified promptly “welcomed us home”. Are your staff as fine tuned to a consistent brand message?

In all of the attraction areas, is music playing the “soundtrack” of the park. You quickly recognize that everything you see and experience has been “created” to best position the Disney effect. It got to the point where my wife Rose, asked me if the birds in the trees singing were the real thing or a recording? All of this control over experience really does make you forget the real world outside. The effect is absolutely convincing. You forget you are walking around an enormous set. You really want to believe. My wife was actually excited to get her picture taken with Mickey and friends. (I thought it was pretty cool too)

I took away a lesson in how to make customers love you. Give them a consistent message and over deliver on everything you do for them. I loved the experience so much, I was willing to pay $8 to $10 for a Manhattan (my favorite drink). Back home in a restaurant I would shell out half that amount. Everything cost more, but the brand delivers and so I was smitten. When you love something you are willing to pay more to prolong the experience. Are your customers willing to pay more for your experience? Maybe it’s time you have a hard look at how you deliver to your audience.

Many people might say that they resent the manicured experience at Disney World, but I would challenge them to show me any successful brand that doesn’t succeed by delivering their product on an emotional level. The Disney Brand conjures up a deep heart felt desire to believe that the world is a good place where everyone wishes you a magical day even if for a moment. Even if that belief lasts only a week, it is good for the soul. But what is important to note from a business perspective is, every time I see the Disney name I will be reminded of the great feeling that I felt at Disney World. That brand experience translates into major dollars for the Disney Corporation. It allows them to sell me on many product offerings based on a brand promise that is magical.

We could all use a bit of that magic.

Disney doesn’t appear to ever be sitting still. New attractions and resorts keep adding to the magic. Are you continually delivering new services and products to your audience? Don’t sit still and let grass grow under your brand’s feet. The magic is in your brand – this is your opportunity to control it’s delivery.

File under: Archives, Blogs & Blogging, Branding, Business, Employer Branding, Featured, Marketing, Personal Branding

May 9, 2008 By Ed Roach

The Money’s In The Difference!

Ed Roach

In my line of work you get to have a lot of fun working with companies. They come my way sort of lost. Many have achieved impressive success but feel that they can do better and feel that something is missing. While others are absolute start-ups and want to hit the ground running. What is typical in almost every case is the fact that they never considered positioning themselves from a point of differentiation. They all want to go to market with a laundry list of services and shout out that they do everything. Since this is what ‘most’ businesses do, it hardly appears wrong at first glance. But what is also noteworthy is the fact that this type of approach garners no emotion but a resignation to market. Marketing is seen as a necessary evil. They focus on catchy graphics, a visual hook. But, that will not really sell anything – it is simply eye candy. It is your position that counts – what compelling offer intrigues the reader to give you a few moments of their time to indulge you.

Many times eye candy is simply forgetable. How many ads have you seen where you remember the sweet spot but can not for the life of you, remember the pitch and certainly not the company. Not a great way to start off a brand relationship. Offering everything or God forbid copying the leader in your category just tosses your brand into a sea of sameness. You are awash in mediocrity.

Now – take a positioning strategy based on differentiation and watch your stake holders get excited by what they are shouting. When we develop this position they (the customer) are so pumped they can hardly wait to launch this new approach. WHY? – because they now have something to say. The message comes from they’re very core. It is a difference that makes sense, and one that they can build a relationship on. It is something the competition has failed to recognize and it becomes a lightening rod. Marketing is now exciting and they are invigorated.

Taking the effort to discover your difference, will rejuvenate your brand and this will generate income and inject excitement into your brand.

File under: Archives, Blogs & Blogging, Branding, Business, Employer Branding, Featured, Internal Projects, Marketing, Personal Branding

April 28, 2008 By Ed Roach

How To Make Compliance Branding Work For You.

No matter what industry you are in, there are regulations in place to make your company comply with preset standards of practice. These standards are known as compliances. Some are set in place by government agencies and the others are professional compliances both internal and external. Government compliances in many cases deal with health, safety and security to name a few. Business owners have mixed emotions about compliances. In most cases, compliances are viewed with distain for many reasons over and above the expense of it.

Ed Roach

What should be recognized as important is the effect on your brand your compliances have. If your corporate brand values are based on values such as integrity and due diligence, being compliant is very important to you. By complying you reduce the risk associated with running your operation. Deficiencies in the implementation of compliances can lead to unfortunate outcomes that essentially take a sucker-punch to your brand. No business can afford to run rough shod over their compliance obligations. Safety compliances protect your brand from being exposed due to employee injuries. These high profile events draw undesired attention to your company. Any adverse news makes your company look sloppy and insensitive.

Your brand is everything to do with your reputation. Not only is being compliant of importance to the health and welfare of your company but also by extension to your corporate brand as well. Industry compliances are more specific in nature. They typically associate themselves with standards of the type of business you are in. Architects for instance must adhere to compliances that allow them to promote themselves as architects. These industry compliances set the bar high for entry into the industry and protect the public in their quest for your services. Following these compliances assures the public of professional standards of practice. Detering from professional compliances sets your brand up to take the fall. Failure to live up to your compliances and accepting deficiencies exposes your company – and thus your brand. Any loss in professional designation will ultimately cost you money. Your brand loses its expert status in the eyes of your customer.

A third and often neglected area of compliance is the self-administered compliance. These are compliances that you have personally put into place to react to a cultural shift in your industry or to raise the bar from within. Self-administered compliances are very real opportunities. Corporate standards put in place within a company do so to provide an assurance on the level of quality of operation and service within the company. Self-administered compliances are a perfect opportunity to develop a more effective model of operation.

Now that we have looked at the 3 main types of compliances and recognizing their importance to the running of your company and their positive impact on your brand, now we must be assured that they are being implemented effectively. It is one thing to recognize a compliance need, it is another entirely that the compliance is being administered properly. There must be processes put in place to be sure that those rules and regulations are being followed and understood by all stake holders in the company. Any negligence in the implementation of compliances weakens the compliance leaving your brand exposed by association. Your marketing efforts often position your company in it’s best light. You simply can not afford sloppy compliance practices. It has a negative effect on moral and leadership within the corporation.

Once you have determined that all compliances are in place and that they are being adhered to according to processes developed to that end, it is important now to market compliances to your advantage. Being compliant on multiple levels can become the basis of a strategy of differentiation. Compliance icons can be used to shout this message out to your target audience. Stepping up as a leader in your category, not only raises the bar but puts barriers in place that impedes the forward movement of your competition. In order to match or beat you they have to invest considerable effort and expense to catch up and surpass you. Being the leader allows you certain bragging rights that gives your customers maximum confidence in dealing with you.

This confidence equates to a stronger brand relationship.

File under: Archives, Blogs & Blogging, Branding, Business, Employer Branding, Internal Projects, Marketing, Personal Branding, Podcasts, Reviews, Uncategorized

April 28, 2008 By Krishna De

Writing Reviews Reinforces Your Personal Brand Online

If you are looking to position yourself as a thought leader in your field, one of the opportunities that many people forget to use is that of becoming a central resource for their clients and potential clients.

By keeping up to date with the leading edge thinking in your area from books to research, or even events that you attend, your clients will soon come to realize that you know your area of expertise.

In addition, writing reviews of those books or reports with your perspective is also a valuable resource, and increasingly you can do this online at your website, business blog or even sites such as Amazon.com. This also reinforces your personal brand online and reviews you write will be found in the search engines

A relatively new service is available online called Loudervoice dedicated to reviews.

You can register for a free account at Loudervoice and you can post your reviews directly on the site or from your own business blog, from your mobile phone or from micro blogging sites such as Twitter.

So the next time you read a book or report, attend an event or programme related to your field of expertise, consider consolidating your views, add your perspective and then write up and post the review on the web for the benefit of your own clients and to attract more clients and customers.

File under: Blogs & Blogging, Branding, Marketing, Personal Branding

April 19, 2008 By Vera Raposo

Develop New Products That Will Take On Your Brand

By Listening To Your Customers

Innovation is what keeps new businesses alive, fresh, and ahead of your competition. If you aren’t periodically adding new products and services to your line then customers may run out of reasons to be customers. Keep them invigorated and excited about doing business with you by developing new products and services, here’s how:

Listen To Your Market

Your customers are likely sharing information and stories with you. Take the time to actually listen to them. You’ll be surprised what they have to say and how that information can be used to create new products and services that you know will succeed because your customer has already told you they need it. In addition to simply opening up your ears, you can use a variety of tools to ask your customers what they need. Surveys, blogs, forums and even the gold old fashioned suggestion box can be used to communicate with your customers about how you can better meet their needs.

Provide Value

One of the steps in becoming an innovative business is to look for opportunities to increase your sales. What problems are your customers dealing with and how can you solve them? Any product or service that directly benefits your current customers will have a strong chance at success.

For example, Apple had the innovative iPod product to start and in their line of products and services they have many accessories and services for iPod owners. However, true innovation occurred again when they created the iPhone. It was designed to meet the needs of folks who were tired of carrying around multiple devices. Now they have an iPod and a phone, and even a planner, in one device.

Taking the time to consider what your customer’s current problems are will help you brainstorm innovative products and services to serve as a solution.

Look At The Process & Fill In The Gaps.

Another excellent way to brainstorm a new product or service to add to your existing business is to look at your customer’s buying process. What do they do before they buy from you and what do they do after? Perhaps you can fill in the gaps and offer a product or service that meets their needs.

For example, if you’re a fitness instructor then before people come to you for coaching and instruction they buy a pair of shoes, you could offer a guide on how to find the best shoes for your foot. If they tend to sign up for a race after completing instruction with you then you could offer a guide to the best races around the world and offer travel tips, race day tips and even guidance with accommodations.

True innovation comes from taking a look at your customers’ needs, wants, and desires and exploring how you can meet those needs or fulfill their desires – sometimes even before they know they’re a need!

File under: Branding, Business, Personal Branding

April 16, 2008 By Ed Roach

Selling The Pain!

When you want to get your message in front of a target audience, you’ve got to be creative in your approach. During the last week, I was planning on attending an industry organization’s annual general meeting with my wife, Rose – who works in this industry. It was her first time taking part in such an event and she wanted me to accompany her. I pondered as to how I might leverage some business leads while attending and what immediately intrigued me was that during the day’s events was a two-hour window where companies could display their services to attendees taking a break and having a “beverage” while networking. So, naturally I inquired as to the availability of the display space. To my dissatisfaction, it was only open members or suppliers to their immediate industry.

Bummer.

Not one to ignore an opportunity to spread my message somehow, I developed an idea I think you’ll find amusing. I decided to develop “pain point postcards”. Before I elaborate on exactly what these are, let me define “pain points” first. As in any business, there are issues that keep you awake at night. These issues are the things that cause you psychological pain. These are the challenges in business that throw up barriers and irritants, holding you back from your goals, resulting in lost income potential.

Ed Roach

To take advantage of pain points as a strategy targeting my audience’s attention, I engaged in a little guerilla marketing. I am producing a series of 5 postcards roughly 6″ X 4″ in size. On the front side, the entire surface is black and the text is in white. This is where I boldly spell out the pain point. For instance: “Are you finding that there is nothing that differentiates you from your competition?”

On the back is the brand logo for “The Branding Experts” and contact info ONLY. No answer to the pain point question. My goal is to drive them to a special web-page dedicated to this effort. You cannot get to this page without having seen and picked up the postcard AND acted on it. A great way to track the effort. I will place these cards all over the event and hotel where many of the attendees are staying. The web page will provide solutions to the questions. Distributing these Pain Point Postcards is where you must also be bold. You are no doubt staying at the same hotel as your target audience. Leave them message side up on the reception coffee table. The counter in the john. The counter at reception. Anywhere that they might catch the eye. Ideally place all 5 messages in close proximity, as this is a bigger effect.

If you are even willing to invest more funds to the effort, you could see if a billboard close to the entrance to the exhibit hall or hotel is available on a 3 or 4 day basis. Here you would exhibit your most compelling statement. That and your weblink is the ONLY message here.

Prior to the show, try and get emails of the attendees and do html email blasts with the black and white messages. Expose them to the pain points in as many locations as possible within a tight period of time. I would even go so far as putting magnetic cards on the interiors of the elevators. Pain Point promotions can be invigorating as you become somewhat of a guerilla in your technique. Outside of the billboard, the expense is minimal, it is merely your effort that should be inspired. Try it yourself soon and come back and let us know how the experience benefited you. We can compare notes.

File under: Archives, Blogs & Blogging, Branding, Business, Employer Branding, Internal Projects, Marketing, Media, News, Personal Branding, Podcasts, Uncategorized

April 2, 2008 By Vera Raposo

Adding Personality To Grow Your Brand With The Internet

Personal Branding

Branding comes in many shapes and sizes and the internet has opened up an entirely new set of tools in a business owners branding and marketing toolbox.

One of the most powerful forms of branding, particularly if you’re a small business, is what is called personality branding. A small business owner’s most powerful branding tool is their personality which will also be interpreted by customers and prospects as the business personality.

Since I’ve taken over this site from Yaro, you will come to see that I’m definitely a different person. I have different experiences in life, different ideas, and so on. Flat out I’m a completely different person, and I don’t think Yaro has kids.

Besides Yaro has pretty hip hair.

This site is the same, but what can I do as a new owner to bring out my own personal brand?

I remember when I took over a retail store location from a previous owner. There was this little kid that came in the store, with his big brown eyes he looked up at me and said, “Where’s the nice lady?”

I thought in my head, I’M the nice lady, darnit you little…. Just kidding.

But seriously, I had to prove to him that I was worthy of his business and show him that I may be a different lady, but I sure was alot funnier than the previous “nice” lady. He came to know me as the goofy lady at the store.

So how can you create your own personal brand in your business?

Here are a few great ways to use the internet to express your personality online.

Blogs - Blogs are a fantastic way to both communicate with your customer and to offer them value. No matter what your business product or service is, a blog can be created to communicate with your interested audience. Additionally, a blog has the added benefit of creating two way communications with small business consumers.

Video – Video is rapidly becoming one of the most popular marketing tools for small business owners because speaking is easier for many than writing and it gives you the same ability to communicate with your prospects and customers as a blog does. In fact, you can upload a video to your regular blog to mix up the content and to give your audience a new perspective.

Audio – Audio precedes video as a marketing tool however it is still very popular. When you’re speaking to your prospects and customers, about any subject relevant to your industry, your personality comes through in your voice, your inflections, and even in the words you choose. Audio is often the chosen form of personality marketing for those either not interested or not comfortable in video however both can be incorporated into your marketing mix successfully.

Content – Content is an excellent form of personality marketing and many forms of content are viral. Ebooks, articles, reports and ezines can all be forwarded to friends and associates of your prospects thus increasing your reach and your exposure.

Pictures – Ever flip to the back page of a book to see what the author looks like? I do it all the time. Why? Curiosity. I just want to know what the author looks like. It helps me connect with them. The same holds true for your business. A picture of you as the owner and pictures of your team help visitors connect with you as a person.

Social networking – Social networking has taken the world by storm and with good reason. Social networking gives business owners the ability to connect with people on an entirely different, non-sales, level. You can establish a profile on any number of networking sites and meet, greet, and connect with prospects, customers, and even potential future business partners. Social networking is personality branding kicked up a notch.

The internet also enables business owners to have an instant impression on visitors. On your business website you can post important branding tools like your mission statement or USP, company philosophy, and even an about us page. Branding is a continuous process and for the small business owner it means more than a logo and a catchy name. Small business branding is all about connecting with your customer on a personal level and the internet has made it easy and accessible for all.

Oh and if you’re ever stuck… Show off your true personality, being goofy can be a brand all in it’s own.

File under: Blogs & Blogging, Branding, Personal Branding