Branding

  • Email Creation Made Easy by Using Constant Contact

    Sending emails to your customers is a great way to stay in touch with them, but it’s hard to create professional looking email templates for many business owners. That’s why I recommend using the Constant Contact platform.

    Why Constant Contact is the Best Email Marketing Tool for Businesses

    Constant Contact has been a lifesaver for small businesses across the world. The platform helps you create professional emails that you can send to your customers/prospects and they even offer other services on the platform like the ability to share your social media posts. 

    In full transparency, I’ve been a Certified Solutions Partner with Constant Contact since 2016 and personally use it for my own business and my clients. Constant Contact is known as the leader in email marketing solutions, so for me it’s a no-brainer if you’re looking for a user friendly platform for sending emails to your customers!

    The best part is that this platform has changed with the times and offers its users an easy drag and drop editor along with professionally designed templates that you can brand and make your own. 

    Recently, Constant Contact has even added cross device templates so that you can use their mobile app or website to design and schedule your next campaign with ease. Imagine you’ve got everything you need right at your fingertips. So let’s dive a little deeper and look at some of the features. 

    Let’s Talk about the Many Features

    Well I’ve already mentioned the drag-and-drop email editor, social media posting tool (now integrated with Canva!) and customizable mobile responsive email templates but wait there’s so much more:

    • Auto-adjust smart columns for emails
    • Comprehensive image library
    • Up to 2GB hosting for images and documents
    • Intuitive landing page editor
    • List-building tools for websites, social media, and SMS
    • Email list management
    • List segmentation tools
    • Duplicate contact management
    • Social share for emails
    • Social media monitoring and inbox
    • Social analytics and engagement
    • Facebook and Instagram ad management
    • Google Ads tool
    • Real-time campaign tracking
    • Campaign comparison
    • Click-tracking heat map
    • Click segmentation
    • Subject line A/B testing
    • Marketing calendar
    • Email marketing automation
    • eCommerce integration
    • Event marketing
    • Online fundraising tools
    • Custom surveys and polls
    • Coupon creation
    • Client management
    • Multi-user accounts
    • Email integrations with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce and Eventbrite
    • And the Cherry on the top you can even create a website on the platform!

    Have I got your attention?

    The Benefits

    The Constant Contact software is extremely user-friendly. To create an email it only takes a few simple steps and it’s easy to use. It’s also comprehensive so you’re able to include attachments, links, and videos which help make the email look more professional. The email can also be customized with your branding to make it your own and create your business identity. 

    There are a variety of templates that are available for businesses to use if they don’t want to start from scratch. Each one caters to specific goals and needs such as merchandising ads, birthday autoresponders, and customer loyalty campaigns just to name a few.

    If you’re looking for help with sending emails to your customers, reach out to me.  I’ll show you how easy the software is to use and how comprehensive. Book a complimentary 15 minute strategy session with me at https://strategizeyoursuccess.as.me/letstalkstrategy or reach out to me on our contact page at https://strategizeyoursuccess.com/contact/.

    If you feel like you want to give the platform a go try taking advantage of the FREE trail version below.

    Interested in Trying Constant Contact for FREE?

    Just click on the banner.

    Constant Contact
    *This is a trail version of Constant Contact for up to 100 contacts only.
    Interested in discounts for email plus? Contact me for details.

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  • Consistent Marketing Builds Brand Trust

    Consistency is a key element in a business’ success. Of course, there are other important factors but consistency is what will create name recognition. Consistency is what will build your online community so you can develop a trusting relationship with your audience, and it will showcase your expertise to new followers.

    Here’s an example: You go out to dinner at your favorite restaurant and you fall in love with your entrée. A few weeks later you take a friend to the same restaurant, order the same meal, but it tastes different and you send it back to the kitchen. Their lack of consistency in how your meal was prepared will now leave doubt in your head about that particular dish and possibly about the whole restaurant in general. Can you relate?

    Doubt in a customer’s mind generally means you must rebuild that trust again to show that they should continue to do business with you. It’s not impossible to earn their trust again but you’re basically starting from square one. Working your business consistently and focusing on superb content and excellent customer service will help to keep your clients happy and trusting in you.

    Have you ever had this occur: You opt-in to an email list which resonates with you and your interest, you receive a few weekly emails and then nothing? Crickets. Then a month or two later you receive an email from that same person, making an offer to you to purchase their product. How does that lack of consistency make you feel? I’m guessing your first reaction would be, “Who the heck is this person?” Their lack of consistency will cause you to forget who they are and why you signed up for their list in the first place. Lack of name recognition generally leads to, “I don’t know who you are so why would I give you my money?” or “ I don’t remember you at all and you unsubscribe from their mailings.” Again, this business owner just made it much harder to win your trust, right? 

    Consistency with Your Brand

    Have you noticed how many gurus there are, each proclaiming to have the answers to earning 6 or 7-figure incomes? Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of great coaches and programs out there but if you tried implementing all of their different strategies, you’d be exhausted from keeping up with it all and your audience would be very confused about your overall message. Your messaging is part of your branding. Don’t borrow someone else’s. Learn from others, embrace what works for you and your ideal audience and use your voice, personality, and idiosyncrasies.

    When it comes to branding, consistency and repetition will help develop name recognition. Make sure you are consistent with your branding across all channels online and your website. It confuses people when they go to one of your online profiles and it doesn’t look at all like your website or the email you sent them.  Be consistent with your brand image, colors, and message, both online and offline so you’re always recognized. 

    4 Places Your Brand Identity Should Be Consistent

    Your brand identity is the image your company portrays to the world at large, to your audience or clients. When people look at your online presence, they should know what you do and that you bring value to the market. Your brand identity should be appealing to your target market and should be consistent in every printed piece you produce and across every online platform.

    Consistency is important because it helps your brand standout. If people see your logo and/or your brand colors online, they will recognize your mailed brochure when it arrives, and vice versa. When people recognize your identity, your name is always top of mind, which is helpful when they receive your email or see your social media posts.

    Let’s examine the four most important places to perfect your brand identity:

    1. Your Website

    Very often your company website is the first element a potential client will see, and most people will make a 10-second decision (more or less) whether to explore further than the home page. Your identity should be strongly represented on that home page so your potential clients will explore further or contact you.

    On your website brand colors, fonts, and your logo are vitally important and should reflect your brand identity. If your message is sobering and you handle tough problems, using whimsical fonts and cutesy graphics doesn’t mesh with the serious issues your company handles. The opposite is also true; if your identity and mission are more light-hearted, using deep, dark colors and traditional fonts might turn people away after they visit your site.

    2. Your Social Media Platforms

    Not everyone in your target audience will use the same social media platform and those reasons vary widely, so it would be appropriate for you to post across multiple platforms to reach more of your audience (If of course, that makes sense for your marketing efforts). However, if your name, colors, and logo are different on all these platforms, when someone jumps from Facebook to LinkedIn, they may not think yours is the same company because the profiles look different. Or if they receive an email that looks different than the social media profile, they may also be confused. Consistency brings recognition and helps to build trust between you and your clients.

    3. All Company Communications

    Business cards, invoices, printed marketing pieces; these should all have the same colors, fonts, and logo as your website and your social media platforms. Just one more way to show your professionalism and attention to detail and your clients will certainly notice.

    4. Your Email Marketing Campaigns

    Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is still one of the best ways to keep in touch with clients and to keep your company name in their memory. The key is to be relevant with your messages and offer valuable and engaging content. On top of these, create a template that incorporates your brand colors, fonts, and logo. Don’t miss a chance to build that trust between you and your audience. 

    Well we have covered a lot in this post so let’s review some best practices. Building trust with your audience is easier if you have consistency with your logo, images, messaging, and your personal vibe. When we market, we are marketing to other humans who expect a certain experience. Let’s not disappoint them. Keep true to you and your brand. Don’t imitate others but instead find what works for you and your community of followers. Do this and you will gain new business.

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  • Connecting with Your Audience by Using Live Stream Marketing

    Live StreamingIn marketing, we are told repeatedly to connect with our followers. We email our lists of customers that have bought products from us before. However, they don’t always get to know us as they would if we had a brick and morter business. Also, unless we are constantly sending them emails and/or offers, they are more likely to forget about us. That is until you start to introduce live stream marketing into the mix.

    Don’t get me wrong, email marketing is still a fantastic way to connect with your followers but having multiple ways to stay connected to your audience is the way to go because relying on just one source is never the best practice for marketing your business.

    With live stream marketing, you have a way of speaking directly to your customer. You can give them tips and tricks about your products, or you can simply use the medium to keep in touch. You can even ask them if they have any questions or concerns about the products/services that you offer. It can also be used to let them know about your future events.

    Using a Personal Touch

    There’s not too much in the marketing world that gets as personal as live stream media. Unless you plan on contacting to every person on your list, one-on-one via phone, broadcasting via video is the next best thing. Customers will appreciate this kind of engagement because they see it is an actual person running the video. It turns a cold customer into a warm one and a warm customer into a hot one. This increases the trust factor of your customers by a wide margin. The hotter your customers are with respect to trust, the easier it is to get them to buy from you.

    Are You Afraid of the Camera?

    I find that doing a ton of practicing helps you get over it. So, practice, practice. If you have some family members or friends that you can rehearse with as a live audience, then that is very helpful. It also allows you to get comfortable with using whatever platform you stream from. Live Video

    If you are camera shy, you still have options when it comes to live stream. Work with a co-host, outsource the broadcast or bring on a team member or partner to do this part of your marketing.  The person you choose to do the streaming should be on board with what you are trying to accomplish. A complement to your goals. The best way around this is to find people that you have worked with on a long-term basis who are as comfortable with you as you are with them.

    If your monetizing this part of your marketing, you can offer them a percentage of the sales that come from the product you are selling or a flat fee.

    The field is wide open for live stream marketing and it’s going to be interesting to see which players come to the foreground and which don’t. One thing is certain; it’s going to be a great ride for marketers overall.

    If this area of your marketing is foreign to you and you don’t know how to get started reach out to us. We can help coach you through the process so that you can feel more comfortable with live streaming. 

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  • Key Branding Essentials

    Branding Branding your business helps you develop a relationship with your potential and current customers by helping them understand your business’s personality, products and/or services. By developing a brand that people feel they know and understand, you can start to compete with other businesses in a whole new way. You can compete based on the essential value of your products and services rather than simply the cost of them.

     

    You have many different types of tools that you can use for branding your business. Some obvious and some not so obvious.

    • Business cards
    • Brochures
    • T-Shirts
    • Mugs
    • Sample Products
    • The business itself if it’s a bricks and mortar business (how it’s decorated),
    • Your Pricing Structure
    • Customer Service Style
    • Even your contract can be a branding tool in your business.
    • While some of these tools aren’t as obvious as others, they are all evoke feelings about your business in the customer.

     

    All of these tools need to have a consistent style to them. By being consistent across all of the tools that you can use to brand your business, you will increase your brand image even more. Your brand has a core value to your entire business. It helps people understand what you do, how you do it, why you do it and will bring feelings of goodwill (or bad) to your clients or potential clients.

     

    One of the branding tools that is most useful is your website. Often times when a business that has been around awhile decides to build a website, the owners get carried away and forget that they already have an established brand. Unless you want to re-brand yourself, essentially starting from scratch as a new business, it is best if you carry forth the brand you’ve already created into your web design.

     

    BrandingAfter all, it takes time to develop a brand. You don’t want to confuse your current customers and catch them off guard by changing your image in their minds. After all, a customer’s belief in your brand can change on a dime if you’re not careful. You could lose customers, and we all know that keeping customers is one of the best marketing methods there is. Getting a new customer is much more expensive.

     

    Your website, if designed well, can evoke the same feelings in new and old customers alike. Using your website to tell your story and expand your reach is an excellent use of the marketing tool, but it’s not a time to switch it all up and change everything. Instead look at the colors, images, and feelings you evoke now with the marketing collateral that you have and pull it in to your web design. Sometimes just using the same logos, the same colors, and the same font can go far in bringing the look and feel of your brand to the web.

     

    Consider allowing your customers to tell their story about your brand. Your website is an excellent place to bring in customer testimonials, whether written or in video. Who is better at explaining your brand to others than people who already know you? By expanding your brand using consistent design practices across all your marketing media, you’ll be able to engage clients and potential clients in a new way – without reinventing the wheel.

     

    Need help with your branding? Contact me today for a private coaching session.

     

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  • How to be a Social Media Influencer

    Many people think that building a huge following on social media is all it takes to become a successful influencer. There is actually a lot more to this than you may realize.

    how to be an influencer on social mediaWhile it may be easy for you to create a new Facebook fan page and build a following of thousands of fans, what you need is active followers. An active follower or fan is someone who takes the time to comment and share your content. It is this activity that the major sites like Klout and Kred take into consideration when measuring your influence.

    It is possible to get your fans and followers to engage with you by following some simple steps. First remember that social media is about sharing content. While your main goal may be to have others share your content, this will not happen unless you share theirs first.

    Another aspect that you want to master is the one of listening. Listen and read the comments that your fans post and then take action on them. By doing this you are actually showing them that you are interested in what they have to say. This will help you build trust and respect amongst your followers and in turn this will improve your power of influence.

    Always remember to be yourself when using social media and don’t try to come over as you think people want you to. You should know what your brandhow to be a social media influencer is and what message you are trying to convey to people.  This places you in an honest light and again helps to build trust with your customers. After all you want to be someone who your customers can happily do business with.

    When it comes to adding content to your social media sites then always aim for quality content first. When having any type of social media conversation it is best to have one great conversation with one person than to try and have a mediocre one with ten or twenty people at one time.

    Social media is meant to be fun so don’t forget to include this in your business. You don’t always have to be serious. Exposing a fun side will not hurt your business at all. Instead it will make you look more human and friendly to your followers and more approachable.

    So instead of worrying about how to become the next best social influencer, just get out there and inject your personality into your sites. You may be surprised by what happens. And remember to have fun!

    If you are your looking for assistance with your social media influence please feel free to reach out to me. I understand what it’s like to struggle with the constant changes that happen in our fast paced business world and I’d be glad to be your guide. 

    http://my.vcita.com/d802bba6/scheduler

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  • Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    One of the best things about online marketing is the advent of social media. Social media lets you promote your content, expand awareness of your brand, and engage with your clients and potential customers. But you can’t just send blind updates without doing just a bit more to ensure that your audience wants to engage with you. Getting your audience to respond to your calls to action is all about engagement. After all, social media is supposed to be social, right?

    Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    1. Update Your About Pages &  Social Media Profiles

    First things first – start updating your “About” pages on your websites, and all your social media profiles. You want there to be no mistake what your brand stands for, and who you are. In addition, every change you make is a chance to cross-promote on other social media. Your About pages, Contact pages and Social Media profiles are great places to cross promote.

    2. Provide a Blurb of What’s to Come When Promoting Content

    When you share any content, whether yours or someone else’s, always provide a little blurb to help pique interest and make your audience curious. For instance, if you’re sharing a Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media article, you might say something like “Pay special attention to tip number 2” in your promotions. This will make your audience want to click through to read the blog post or article. In addition, ask them “What’s your favorite tip? Come back and share here in the comments.”

    Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    3. Use Multiple Types & Forms of Content to Keep Your Audience’s Interest

    Don’t only share one type or form of content. There are so many forms of content to choose from, such as images, text, eBooks, articles, blog posts, infographics, memes, videos and so forth. There are also many types of content (such as evergreen content) that will be current for a long time, and then there is newsworthy timely content that you will want to share as soon as it occurs. Keep your audience interested by being exciting and different.

    4. Never Forget Your Call To Action (CTA)

    When you share anything on social media, always remember to put a CTA. It’s also important to vary the CTA. For instance, sometimes you might say, “share this with your friends” another time you might say “comment if you disagree, like if you agree” or you might say “buy now” as your CTA. Whatever you choose as your CTA, don’t overwhelm your audience with too many choices. But always include one, and make it different than the last time.

    Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    5. Show Off Your Personality (Let Your Helpers Do So Too)

    Consumers want to feel as if they’re engaging with real people. Since you’re a real person that should be easy. But, we often get so tied up with automation (which is wonderful and useful) that we forget to engage with people. If you outsource to anyone who is handling your social media, they don’t need to act like robots. Let them show their personality too. Keep your business’s mission statement handy not only for yourself but for those who represent your brand. As long as you stay on message, it’s okay to let your personality show through.

    6. Use Your Metrics To Improve Your Efforts

    What posts, updates, and sorts of shares are your fans currently interacting with the most? By knowing what the numbers say, you can use that information to increase your efforts in a smart way so that you avoid doing what isn’t working, and do more of what is working. Not every audience will respond the same to every type of content that you share. But it’s impossible to know without looking at the analytics. When is your audience online? What types of content do they like, share, respond to the most? Never rely on guesses; rely on the facts and figures that you can obtain.

    Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    7. Use Apps & Technology to Improve Your Connections

    There are so many apps that you can use to schedule, study, and interact with your audience. Did you know that there are custom apps that you can use for Facebook that will help you run contests, encourage email sign ups, add a storefront and more? Try Heyo to create mobile optimized campaigns for Facebook. Want to create useful Facebook Tabs, awesome cover photos, scheduled posts and more? Try Pagemodo.com. There are apps that can do so much, the best thing for you to do is ask your colleagues what they use, or simply do a Google search.

    8. Keep Conversing With Your Audience

    Speaking of apps, you can put apps on your smartphone that enable you to speak with your audience at all times. You want to talk to them at “off” times as much as “on” times. You might seem too robotic if you only post on Monday through Friday during business hours. It’s also great to post from different locations; it shows that you’re a busy person who nevertheless cares about your audience. Be sure to use some automation for this, such as using apps to schedule weekend updates.

    Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    9. Add the Right Metadata to Your Websites & Pages

    Metadata is information that essentially summarizes data on your site, like the title, description, author, date and other things such as identifying images and more. The thing to remember is which metadata is important to include on your website so that when you share a link on social media the right information is presented in an attractive way. This will make your audience want to click through.

    a. Titles – This is the keyword rich title of your article or blog post. On Facebook, it will show up in bold above the link.

    b. Description – This shows up under the link and is usually the first words of your article or blog post that are NOT header text.

    c. Image – You can use the code of your page to specify the images that are allowed to show up in the thumbnail.

    d. Canonical URL – Within the code of the site you can ensure that everyone goes to the same home page when clicking through to your site.

    It’s important to consider these factors when creating your WebPages and blogs so that when you or others share articles or blog posts they find interesting on their social media sites, it looks good and gets the message across that you want.

    10. Ask Your Fans What They Want

    Finally, never forget to ask your current fans, connections, and followers what they want from you. You can send out a survey, answer questions, and more to find out what your connections what. The more you give them what they want, the more they’re likely to engage with you in social media.

    Use social media to communicate the story of your brand. As you use these top ten ways to engage your audience in social media, try to remember what your business core values are, what the benefits of your products and services are to your clients, and your point of being on social media.

    Top 10 Ways that You Can Engage Your Clients thru Social Media

    Let us help you brand your business. Visit our services area on our site to find out how we can make YOUR BUSINESS more visible and unique. If you don’t see a service that you need let us know how we can help you GROW your business.

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  • Tools to Attract More Life into Your Online Business

    Tools to Attract More Life into Your Online BusinessBusinesses, like everything else, need a refresher once in a while. If you haven’t updated your business or added new features and benefits to your website, it may be time. Often simple steps can help you attract more life into your business.

    VideoTools to Attract More Life into Your Online Business

    The majority of business owners share an occasional video. However, by creating a video channel on YouTube or Vine you can reach a new audience and add some life to your business. You can even use short video messages on your sales and landing pages to welcome visitors and connect with them on a more personal level.

    If being in front of a camera is not your thing I understand consider taking a Power Point Presentation and make it into a video.

    Consider creating a video series and a channel to add some interest to your business.

    Membership Features

     

    Adding a membership feature to your business model and your website can help you build a community. Membership can be free and provide a number of different features and benefits.

    For example, you can use a membership to share more content or more product offers and promotions. You can use a membership to help your prospects and customers connect with each other, ask questions, and build relationships.

    You can also use it as a means to provide a little more value to those who take the time and energy to join. There are a number of plug-ins that you can use to add membership to your blog or website. On our resource page you can find a link to WordPress eMember but there is also Wishlist, Optimize Press and Member Mouse to mention a few. You will need to check out the features and cost to determine which is best for your situation.

    Tools to Attract More Life into Your Online BusinessMobile Applications

    More and more people are buying smart phones. As this trend grows, so too does the opportunity to market with mobile applications. Just about any business model can brainstorm an application that provides value and draws attention to their website and business.

    For example, a business coach might create a mobile app that helps business owners track their goals. A virtual assistant might create a ‘helpful tip of the day” application. A fitness blogger could create a fitness motivation tool. Check out this post from Mashable it lists a variety of platforms for building mobile apps.

    There’s no end to what you can create. It doesn’t have to be complicated to provide value. In fact, some of the most useful applications are the simplest. Take a look at your audience and consider how you might meet their needs with technology. You can sell the application or give it away for free and profit from the advertising. Additionally, you’ll build awareness for your business and attract more life into it.

    Content, Events and More

    Finally, you don’t have to take extreme measures to attract more life to your business. You can create a new content series, free report, or hold a webinar to build interest. Look to your audience first and evaluate how you can provide the most value and benefit.

    I hope these ideas helped you to think about ways to make changes in your online presence. If you have some other great ideas please share them in our blog comments.

    At Strategize Your Success we help our clients make change with a variety of services to simplify their online marketing.

    If you need tweaks to your WordPress site, graphic designs, more attractive handouts for your presentations or even a new look for your social media covers we can help. Check out our services!

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  • Even the Grinch Can Teach Us Something About Business

    Part II: What Holiday Movies Can Teach Us

    There’s Someone for Everyone

    So today we are looking at lesson two for business advice from a holiday movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. This Dr. Seuss’ original book was made into a movie twice, once in 1966 and then again in 2000 with Jim Carrey.

    If you haven’t seen the 2000 version it’s pretty funny.  Here is an overview. So the Grinch (played Jim Carrie) hates Christmas and he hates the Whos (there is some history behind this). On the other side of this story we have the sweet and lovable residents of Whoville, who adore Christmas – but they have lost sight of the true meaning. So this Christmas, the Grinch, accompanied by his dog, Max, steal all their presents and decorations so he can get his revenge.

    [ez_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/Lxuqbh2tjTs” width=”540″ height=”260″ autoplay=”0″ autohide=”2″ controls=”1″]

    But there is a turn of events when the Grinch meets the sweet and innocent Cindy Lou Who, who truly likes him and tries to befriend him and the single Martha May Whovier, that the Grinch has a crush on. That’s when this story starts to get a little more complicated for the Grinch.

    In the movie, the Grinch pushes forwarded with his idea to stop Christmas and steals their presents and decorations. But nonetheless Whoville comes together as a community to celebrate the true meaning of the holiday resulting in the Grinch’s heart growing three times the size and he instead decides to save Christmas for the Whos. All ends well, with the community forgiving the Grinch.

    So many lessons to be learned here, one especially that I’d like to center on is, there’s really someone for everyone, especially in business. Face it, if the grumpy Grinch can capture the heart of the desirable Martha May and the forgiveness of the Whos, then there’s got to be a customer following  for you and your business. 

    Bear with me. Think about some of the products and services out there.  There are so many niche markets these days. People are selling Plankets for your plants and Duck Dynasty Chia Pets for gift giving. If they can make it, you can, too. 

    Even the Grinch Can Teach Us Something About Business

    You just need to be absolutely clear on who you are to your audience. Be decisive. If your business personality for instance is more “heart centered” then your followers will probably resonate with that if they are too. If on the other hand, your style is to the point and without fluff then so be it. The people who appreciate that type of interaction will appreciate you.  You just need to figure out your technique and style.  The clearer you are yourself the easier it becomes to build your “tribe”, as Seth Godin calls it.

    Don’t apologize for who you are. I’ve seen speakers say from the start of their presentation that they may not be for everyone. They are not apologizing but being honest by saying “this is me”. Your customers don’t want someone who is uncomfortable with themselves; they want to be led by someone who’s confident and embraces their uniqueness.

    So when the Grinch leaves Mt. Crumpet and his lonely existence he settles into the “real world” where he finds acceptance and love. You too need to be where the people are. Go find where your “ideal tribe”. If they are on social media be on social media if they are at a local chamber meeting, go and attend. 

    Also don’t let “authenticity” be an excuse for bad behavior. After all there’s a difference between being transparent and honest, and being unpleasant. Even at the end of the movie, the Grinch softens a bit – without losing his Grinch-ness.

    Remember, if the Grinch can find love and a tribe, you can, too.

    Stay tuned for next weeks, Part III installment of “What Holiday Movies Can Teach Us”.

    If you missed last week’s here is the link .

    Happy Holidays everyone!

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  • Why Do I Need to Brand My Products?

    Why Do I Need to Brand My ProductsThere are literally millions of products on the market today.  What makes yours stand out from the others?  If the answer is nothing, you need to brand your products.

     

    Branding is a way of getting your product in the minds of customers all over the world.  You could walk up to someone in Europe and they would know what Pepsi was.  Or, better yet, ask someone to name a soft drink and they would think of popular brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola.  That is how much we are into those two sodas.

     

    Whatever you are selling, there is someone else selling a variation of that product as well.  What hope do you have of gaining a share of the market?  Your hope is in branding your product. 

    Brand Your Product

    To brand your product, you will need to ask yourself a few questions.  First, what is the business all about?  There must be a reason that drives you to sell your product.  Is it to provide good quality clothing, books or a beauty product to the consumer, then let that be the key to your brand strategy.

     

    All products need a logo.  Without one, that shirt you are trying to sell is just another shirt.  The logo will remind people of your products and also say something about the company’s mission.  For instance, Hanes has branded itself as tagless.  So you could say their mission is to make you more comfortable because there is no tag on their product. 

    Slogan or Tagline

    Do you have a slogan or tagline?  When people relate to Adidas they think, “Impossible is Nothing.”  For Visa, they hear, “More people go with Visa.”  With M & M’s it’s “Chocolate’s Better with M”. Those slogans say something about the product. 

     

    Determine what sets your product apart for others of its kind and play to that strength.  Being unique is difficult in business, but it can be done with a good branding strategy.  The uniqueness will get your product noticed through a marketing campaign.  It won’t benefit your business if you have a good product and no one knows how good it is or can find it.

    Stand Out Among the CompetitionWhy Do I Need to Brand My Products

    Without branding, your products are just one of a hundred or a thousand others on the market.  If you can back up the claims about the product, creating a brand can help you to get it into households and businesses.

     

    Branding your product will make it stand out among the competition.  Branding is not an exact science but it can boost the sales of other lesser-known products in your inventory when your premier product catches on.  In business we are always looking for a way into the inner sanctum of profit, and branding is the beginning. 

    Do you need help with building your brand? Do you need a logo, website development or company identity? Give us a call. We offer a complimentary 30 minute strategy consultation and we know the struggles entrepreneurs face.

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  • Ignite Your Business Branding

    Branding is all about the customer’s perception of your business.  Your brand is the promise that you intend to make to the client.  The ultimate goal is to ignite an emotional connection in order to create a positive feeling from the client. 

     Build Your Brand with Strategize Your Success

    Most clients are loyal to products they enjoy.  It is very common for a client to be impressed with a brand and continue to buy a product based on that brand.  You want to create these feelings of loyalty to bring them back for more.  This is the ultimate goal.

     

    Mission and Vision of Your Business

     

    The mission and vision of your business should sustain excellence in providing a quality product to clients that you care about.  These are statements about your business regarding the ultimate goals you wish to achieve with in your endeavors.  Many businesses focus their vision or mission on their employees while others extend their mission outward to their clientele.  There should be a fine mix here with both. 

     

    Many clients do not read into a vision or mission statement too often.  However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take it seriously.  Your vision and mission are both a part of the branding process because they define what your company is all about.  These two statements need to be believed and practiced by employees and all staff of the business.

     

    Benefits and Features of Your Products or Services

     

    A big part of creating a brand for your business is proving to the client why your products and services are the best to buy.  Highlighting your benefits and what sets you apart is important. Determine what the benefits are with the products you offer, the services you offer, or something else that makes your business unique.  How does the client benefit when they shop or buy from you?  You will have a very hard time establishing a brand if you cannot determine the benefits or your products or services.

     

    The features of your products and services are also important and they go hand in hand with the benefits.  The features of a specific product should provide a benefit.  Determine the features and see what stands out from the rest then use the biggest benefit for your marketing campaign.

      Brand Loyalty


    Customers Perceptions

     

    Branding is about a client’s perception.  When you create a brand you want to create a perception to that client that you are the best and that you provide quality services and products.

     

    It is important to have a good idea of what a potential client might currently think of your business when you are building a branding campaign.  Today prospective clients may not know that you exist or they may have a negative feel for your business because you haven’t been practicing proper methods.  Have a clear understanding on exactly what people think of you.

     

    If you are unsure what people think of you then you may need to send out surveys and questionnaires.  These types of things can help you get a good idea where you stand with the perception of potential client. It’s okay if it’s not positive today.  It will give you something to build on with your branding campaign.

     

    Perception of Quality

     

    The next thing you need to do with a branding campaign is to determine the different qualities that are perceived about your products by the public.  Do you have a good reputation with the consumer world for providing total quality in your products or are your products considered to be garbage and not worth the money?

     

    The qualities of your business may be many things.  When you think about how clients consider the qualities of your business, make sure you consider the products you offer, the customer support you provide, your image, or anything else that would make a client think of quality coming from your business.

     

    The vision and mission statement are very important for every business no matter how big or small.  Make sure that your brand works well and matches what you say you want to deliver.  Determine what the benefits and features of your business are and have a clear picture on this.  You will need this information to provide a clear picture when you focus on developing your brand.

     

    Also learn about what the client really thinks of you.  You might think they absolutely love you when they are really bashing you on the quality of your product.  Knowing what the customer thinks is very important.  Creating a brand based on client input can be successful, especially if you change the design of something for them.  This gives them a sense of ownership and it shows them you really do care.

     

    Now that you have the information that you need for branding go out and ignite excitement about your business and create an irresistible business brand.

    Are you looking to learn more about how to promote your Facebook Business Pages and navigate the in’s and out’s of this truly wonderful business tool. Join us for a new (7) part series called “Navigating Facebook Pages”. This series starts August the 20th at 2:00 PM EST and 11:00 AM MST/PST. Sorry this event has past.

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