Small Business Branding

Posts Tagged ‘Business’

The Shifting Population And What It Means To You

By Drew McLellan On January 14, 2009 2 Comments

As if juggling all your day-to-day tasks isn’t enough, as marketers we really need to keep track of the trends that will have impact on our business, services and products.

The shifting population is a trend that is definitely going to change the way we all do business.  The world is getting smaller, literally and figuratively.

Here are some facts associated with the trend.

• Currently in the United States, on average, women of child bearing age are having fewer children than ever before.
• Starting around the year 2015, more people will die than babies will be born in the US.  This is a direct impact of the aging boomers.
• By the year 2025, it is predicted that mandatory retirement age (and the social security benefits etc.) will be at least five years older than it is today.
• Older Americans will be healthier and work longer, many until their late 70’s, although most will not work full time or year round.
• Because of the shifting population, finding and retaining employees will be one of the biggest challenges a company will face.

Think about what you sell and how you sell.

Recognizing that we are only 10 years away from feeling the effects of this population shift and adjusting your business models now, could give you a profound advantage in attracting and retaining both customers and employees.

The time to react is now.

A Great Brand In 12 Monthly Installments!

By Ed Roach On January 10, 2009 16 Comments

It’s the new year, so it’s time to mark your calendar and address your brand in 12 monthly action plans. For each month, develop targets for these initiatives.

This way, you are better able to gage your success each month. If you successfully carry out the entire year’s brand activities, you WILL increase business, so let’s get started!

January

Start your business year off respecting those around you who are most responsible for your success. These stake holders are your employees, suppliers and customers. Treat each of these groups with the level of respect they deserve. A genuine appreciation for those who support you is key in strengthening the foundation of your brand. Your entire reputation starts with these people.

February

Corporate communication is important in keeping your stake holders in the loop. Good communications keep rumors from taking hold and you get information that will help you keep productivity humming. Many businesses waste precious time correcting bad communication instead of getting it right the first time. Put together a process to keep the correct information going to the right people in a timely manner.

March

Your current brand is hinged on your reputation. A great brand allows you to reach beyond commodity and allows you to enjoy pricing freedom. Building relationships with clients will give your brand staying power. Spend March strengthening relationships and identifying issues to shore up your brand.

April

Fast return business has to be return customers. If your brand is strong, use April to re-connect with past customers. Put together a program of connection, allowing time for sales to adequately contact and re-visit people. Use free services as a hook to get back in the door. Every positive response is a warm lead to additional business.

May

With spring in the air, the time is ripe for nurturing your referral potential. Develop a referral program to help stake holders recommend your business. Customers who have a healthy relationship with you will love to be your advocate and appreciate your assistance in telling your story. Another important component in any referral program is your opportunity to send business their way. Referral is a two way street.

June

As entertaining season heats up, take the month of June to get your brand message fine tuned. Events and get-togethers are a great time tell the story of what your business does. Ideally you have a positioning strategy that compels the listener. Stay away from corny cliches like. “our people make the difference!” Statements like this are so much fluff and do nothing to differentiate you.

July

This July, do an inventory of which organizations your business is a member of. Ideally organizations in which customers (existing and targeted) are also members. See what the opportunities are to get your people involved and promote your business.

August

During the dog days of summer, it is a great time to re-visit your marketing plans and see how you are doing so far. Does the advertising statement reflect current culture and address benefits to your customers? Many customers are away during this month, allowing you to focus inward.

September

Use September to analyze the culture of your market. Are there any dark clouds on the horizon you’d be wise to address? Organize a management meeting to get a good feel of what the mood is in your category. Then make a coordinated plan to tackle any challenges and exploit any opprtunities.

October

Get community spirit going during this month. What can you do to give back to your community. What areas are of special interest to you. A good social conscience is great for your brand. It also shows reminds your stake holders they we are all part of a community.

November

Education. Use this month to read, read, read. Upgrade all skill sets within the organization to make sure that your business is on the cutting edge. Customers rely on your business to provide solutions that reflect modern practices. As they say, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”.

December

December is the perfect month to reflect on the past year and appreciate all the effort that makes your brand as respected as it is. It is also time to slow down and enjoy your family and friends. Another year is around the corner, so this is the month to pat yourself on the back for a brand well done.

Your brand and it’s power are an ongoing work in progress. Nurturing it need not be done in a hurry. Take the time to do it justice. Have a great and profitable year!

Your Audience Deserves Your Very Best.

By Ed Roach On December 1, 2008 18 Comments

My wife and I were out with friends recently and talk of my recent art exhibit came up. I paint in watercolor, and I held a studio Christmas show. (www.EdRoachWatercolors.com) My friends and my wife all thought I had blown an opportunity to sell a certain painting to a guest. They remarked how the guest remarked how they had liked the painting and how “I talked them out of it”. I “missed a sale,” they said.

Here’s what happend:

The painting was part of a stack of work I keep under my work table. I consider these junk. I keep them to remind myself of my progress. They are not meant for sale. The person in question spotted this pile and asked to see them. I obliged. There was one in particular she admired and said she’d like to buy it. Here’s where the source criticism comes into play. I proceeded to explain why the painting was not good enough to sell. I had painted another cat, and the effect was striking, as you see in the photo here. The painting was soft and somewhat menacing. This second one was too harsh. It did not have the sophistication of it’s sister painting. For this reason, I deemed it not worthy. It didn’t put out the feeling I was looking for. I felt it valuable that the guest understand that my vision for this painting was important and that it was especially critical that only my best work be out there. I don’t want my brand to be tainted “for the sale”. My friends were aghast that I would talk the guest out of a sale – after all it was an art show. They offered to attend the next show and help me sell. I’m afraid they might sell my drawing board if someone made an offer:)

I believe you must have standards. When I discuss my art, and my branding business, I try my best to educate. Explaining what to look for. I don’t want my audience to be taken in by mere flash, it is important to appreciate what makes something great and what does not.

I suppose the cat on it’s own my be OK, but it did not fulfill the criteria of my vision. My goal is to create a series of cats, with much the same expression and style. I mostly paint landscape but I keep my hands in every subject so that I will grow across all. When a painting or branding project “works”, it is a great source of pride. It is very fulfilling for the artist and patron. Both “get it.”

Be sure not to prostitute your services just to make a buck, or your brand will stand for nothing.

Quality. Service. Value. Who needs them?

By Drew McLellan On November 25, 2008 8 Comments

It’s time to stop beating your chest in your marketing.

There are some words, like quality, service and value that are so overused in marketing materials that consumers just tune them out.

They’ve lost all meaning and credibility and using them can actually hurt you. They don’t enhance your message, they cloud it.

These words have been so watered down and are so generic that the consumer makes the assumption that you don’t really have anything to tout, so you’ll just pulling out the generic words to take up space.

That doesn’t mean you cannot market your quality, commitment to service or value.

Just find other ways to get the message across.   Let your customers talk about your quality.  Let satisfaction survey results brag about your high level or service.  Do price comparisons or a 110% price difference refund speak to your value.

Live them.  Just don’t use the words.

Brand Common Sense in 5 Easy Steps

By Ed Roach On November 23, 2008 9 Comments

It’s a little late to think about buying a parachute when you’re going down in flames. Businesses that chose to ignore their brands and marketing to save a few dollars are now scrambling to try and and fend off their inevitable demise. Have you ever noticed that many in the retail world, both large and small do their best job at marketing when they are going out of business. The liquidation sales are adequately promoted with proper funding. When they had the opportunity to take marketing seriously they chose to pinch pennies and failed to invest in themselves, believing people would just beat a path to their door.

Their brands are now so weak they it will take very deep pockets just to stay above water let alone grow. Take this 5 step action plan that is more common sense than anything miraculous:

1) Respect your brand and don’t fall prey to the temptation of being all things to all people. Now is the time, more than ever before to define your brand and compel your customer. If you fall back on a price advantage, the competition will gladly buy the business back. Deeper pockets will work every time.

2) Get in the door with a competitive positioning strategy and sell up from there.

3) Build a relationship that builds loyalty and service the hell out of them.

4) Don’t rely entirely on technology for communication but put your bum in front of them when ever you can.

5) And for God’s sake, don’t stop trying to satisfy and keep your name in front of them – what ever it takes.

What Motivates People To Buy?

By Drew McLellan On October 17, 2008 4 Comments

One of the biggest challenges for business owners and marketers is to step out of their own shoes and slip into the shoes of the buyer.

You need to put aside your own bias and perceptions and always remember that when creating marketing messages, the bottom line is – you have to create the need in the potential buyer’s mind.

Always ask yourself — does my marketing answer the question:

Why should they exchange their hard-earned money for your product or service?

Having an understanding of the human psyche pays off here.  It sounds deceivingly simple, but all human decisions are motivated by one of eight things.

• Time/convenience
• Money
• Recovering something lost (like youth)
• Sex
• Knowledge/self improvement
• Security/safety
• Comfort
• Care of loved ones

Knowing this, how could you change your communications to better trigger a response from your audience?