Business

Why Do I Need to Brand My Products?
- September 13, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
There 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 Competition

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
- August 15, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
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.

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.

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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Ambition and Determination Can Help Businesses Succeed
- July 20, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
Success in business takes determination. One must be motivated and willing to work hard in order to get a business going strong. Ambition is one of the key factors in how quickly and how much a business will grow.

It takes ambition to even consider starting a business. Those who make their business dreams a reality have already fought and won half of the battle. So when we have doubts as to whether we have what it takes to make it, we simply need to look inside ourselves.

Every Business Has Hard Times

As a coach working with other entrepreneurs I see that all businesses go through growing phases, there will always be times when things look doubtful. Few businesses are overnight successes. It takes hard work and lots of marketing to get things started and going strong.

Growing pains can really take their toll on new business owners or even intermediate ones. They can make us want to throw in the towel, and some do. But if we can get back the motivation that made us determined to start our businesses in the first place, we can tough it out and come out on top.

How Can I Re-kindle My Ambition?

When we’re caught up in the negative things that are happening, it can be easy to forget why we’re doing what we’re doing. Stepping back and analyzing our reasons, goals and achievements can help us get in a better state of mind.
- Think about why you went into business. We all have different reasons. Remembering them can give us the incentive we need to make it work.
- Revisit your goals. If you’re not achieving them, figure out why. Did you set them too high, or was there something you could have done differently to meet them? Once you’ve figured it out, adjust your goals accordingly and move on.
- Make a list of the positive things you have achieved. You may not have gotten as far as you would like by now, but if you’re moving forward at all, you’re going in the right direction.
- Get a Coach or a Mentor to be your personal Cheerleader.
- Network with other business owners. Maybe form a support network or mastermind group.
Don’t Let Adversity Get the Best of You

When things get in the way of reaching our goals, it can be tempting to give up. But that’s when we need to reach for our ambition the most. If we want to badly enough, we can overcome obstacles or find another way to achieve what we want to achieve.

Once we’ve overcome an obstacle, we can look back on the experience for motivation. Once you’ve made it through one thing that seemed impossible, you’ll have more confidence to take on the next challenge. Remember the word “IMPOSSIBLE” and think “I’M POSSIBLE”.

When getting a business off the ground, you may question whether you have the ambition you need to succeed. Many business owners do. But if we look inside ourselves, we can find our ambition and do amazing things with it.

At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning. We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. Contact us today for a FREE 15 minute Discovery Session.

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Marketing Mistakes
- July 11, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
Business is a combination of talent and hard work. The talent can only take you so far, so begin by doing your homework. Every business benefits from advertising in some form or another. The key to becoming a name that people can trust is to let them know who you are and what you stand for. Here are a few marketing mistakes that, if avoided, will spare you much grief and money.

1. Not having a marketing plan. What is a marketing plan? It is the way that you will go about promoting your product or service. Just like you wouldn’t begin to get serious about your business without a definite plan, it is best not to approach the marketing of your product without a plan. When a product is promoted well, sales increase.

2. Putting all your eggs in one basket. This old saying seems to work in a lot of situations and marketing is one of them. You may find a strategy like email marketing that has been successful for you. But, don’t base your entire marketing plan on that one strategy. In order to grow, diversification is the answer. By not exploring other options, your business will become stunted in no time.

3. Ignoring the value of networking. For business, networking is invaluable. It is the way that entrepreneurs get together to pick each other’s brains. During these “meetings of the minds”, partnerships are struck. You can find someone who will complement your business with a new idea. Joint ventures mean more profits for everyone.

4. Working as a force of one. All businesses need support in some form. There are not enough hours in the day to do it all and still make money. Outsourcing can be your best friend. You can outsource for practically anything that you need. Hire someone to design your web page, answer your emails, and organize your invoices. When these tasks are taken care of, more time can be devoted to marketing the product in new and creative ways.

5. Cutting back on your marketing budget. When business is slow, we can panic unnecessarily. We want to save as much money as we can until things pick up again. Since business is down, we might decide that we don’t need to advertise as no one is buying. That is the worst mistake we can ever make. This is the time to use our extra minutes in the day to beef up that marketing plan to appeal to a wider net of customers.

Have you already made some of these marketing mistakes? No worries. In this world most things are fixable. Begin again, but this time with the knowledge of what not to do.

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The Importance of Following-Up
- June 25, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
Updated 8-19-2018

There is an old saying that says, ‘The fortune is in the follow-up.”

It’s become an old saying for good a reason: it’s true. Following up with customers and clients can be one of the most important business actions a business owner can take. I believe it’s an essential key to success that once mastered will bring you awesome results.

There are many ways to follow-up, all of them being important in their own unique ways. One of these is to follow-up with potential and past customers. This can be done very easily through sending out regular email campaigns.

To send out a customer email campaign, or do any form of email marketing for that matter, it is recommended to have an autoresponder service. This will make sending updates very easy. They can even be loaded into the system several months or even years in advance.

It is no secret that people lead busy lives and they cannot always remember to do all the things they want or need to do. Simply sending out a little email, reminding them that your business is still there maybe all it takes to stimulate a sale.
Following up with customers can also make them feel special and appreciated. Offering them a special customer appreciation sale is one way to do this. This can, again, be done through email marketing. Another twist is to send your customer an actual card in the mail.

As you can imagine from your own buying habits, when you feel appreciated by a business, you are more likely to buy more product from that business. When you feel ignored or unappreciated, you are more likely to avoid that business.

One reason that some business owners fall behind on following up with their customers is due to a lack of time. If this sounds familiar, setting up some systems to keep things flowing can make life easier.

This could include buying pre-written newsletters and hiring a virtual assistant to personalize them before loading them into an autoresponder, or having a ghostwriter create custom-content.

If you have a service-based business, it is also very important to follow-up with potential clients on quotes and proposals you’ve submitted. When a person contacts you for potential work, they may be at a starting point where they are just trying to sort out their project.

Following up will let them know you are interested in working with them and remind them that they need to hurry up and hire you before someone else does.

That doesn’t mean you have to be pushy at all. Just sending a quick note to let them know that you currently have space on your calendar for them, but also reminding them that your spaces fill up fast, is all that is needed.

Once a business owner implements a regular follow-up routine into their business, they will open up the potential for repeat business and more profits. So remember to follow-up because it’s important.

Need more information to help grow your business through email follow-up? As a Certified Solutions Provider for Constant Contact we have a black belt in email marketing strategies so reach out to us today to see how we can help you.

Feel you want to DIY your own project visit our resources page . We have tons of tips and information available to you for free!

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Marketing Mojo
- June 9, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
The term “mojo” can mean different things to different people. For some, it means being “in the swing of things” or on top of their game. When a business owner has marketing mojo, they are on top of their marketing efforts and are having fun with them.
Having this mojo is very desirable. When a business owner is having fun with their marketing, it won’t seem like a chore at all.
One of the easiest ways to develop marketing mojo is for a business owner to fully know their product. What are the product’s best features? What can the product do that the competition’s product can’t?

Setting mini marketing goals can be a fun way to stay on track. Constantly setting and meeting new deadlines will help raise confidence and that will definitely get your mojo running.

These mini goals can be based on tasks that need to be done, such as writing your monthly newsletter or spending an hour doing some social networking. They can also be based on new things you would like to learn.

Learn By Doing

One of the best ways to build your marketing mojo is to just do it. Instead of spending hours of your time reading up on the latest marketing techniques and then debating over which will benefit your business, try different ideas out as you go.

By testing the waters yourself, you can better judge what is going to be worth your time and what needs to be tweaked to suit your product.

Don’t be afraid to experiment or modify marketing ideas that you have discovered. Changes to the standards are what give companies an edge in their marketing strategies.

Even if the tactics you test out do not work for you, analyze why they didn’t quite pan out and see where you can build on the strengths and weaknesses. Those with real marketing mojo learn from their mistakes and downfalls, creating a better plan for the next effort.

Watch Pros In Action

Feed off the marketing mojo of others to help build your own. Watching the marketing strategies of those who have already found success is a great way to build your business’ arsenal. What works for them just might work for you as well.

Networking with other business owners both in and out of your own industry can really pay off with new marketing tips and ideas. Ask for their advice or just keep an eye on what they are doing to present their own product to the world.

Set goals for yourself, try out new ideas, learn from others and above all, have fun with your marketing efforts. Before you know it, you’ll have your own marketing mojo working and will be reaping the benefits of your success.

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Keeping Customers is Better than Finding New Ones
- June 1, 2013
- 1 Comment
- by Wanda Baader
Ask any experienced business owner how important their customers are, and they will tell you that customers are the lifeblood of their business. Because of that, many business owners believe that the key to success is to constantly find new customers.

Smart business owners know that the real key to success is to develop long-standing business relationships with their clients and keep them coming back.

This has many benefits. First of all, when a business owner has clients coming back for repeat purchases, the business owner will not need to spend as much time on finding new customers.

The business’ income will not suffer, as new work will be coming to the business, instead of the business constantly chasing new work down

Not only will this save time and resources, it is also a more cost-effective way to do business. The business owner won’t need to invest as much in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

Happy customers are also more likely to send referrals to a business. If a satisfied customer runs into a friend or colleague needing the type of services you offer, they will give that person your contact information. This results in even more work coming into the business without the business owner chasing after it.

If you like the sound of enjoying repeat business with your current customers while spending less time and money attracting new clients, you may be wondering how to put this into action. Here are some tips on how to keep your customers happy and coming back.

Offer Quality Products and or Services

While it is hard to say which of the following tips is the most important, this one is extremely important. Without a quality product or service, there is not much reason for your customers to come back.

Practice Effective Communication

This is important whenever a business owner is dealing with a customer or client, but it really comes into play for service providers. It can be very difficult for a business owner to turn over a piece of their business to someone else, especially someone who does not live close by.

But that is exactly what happens whenever a business owner hires a virtual assistant, ghostwriter, web designer, or other service provider.

Service providers can keep their clients happy and at ease by providing regular updates on project statuses and asking questions whenever they are in doubt about something.

Provide Good Customer Service

In the above tip, we talked about effective communication skills, but that is just one part of a good customer service plan. You have probably received poor customer service from a business in the past. How did that make you feel about the business, and did it change your mind about doing business with them again in the future?

A general rule of thumb is to always treat your customers the way you would like to be treated. That simple statement will ensure you will have customers coming back time and time again.

At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning. We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute Discovery Session.

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Finding Inspiration for Marketing, Products and Services
- May 18, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
Inspiration is very important to entrepreneurs. It can provide motivation to get them through the tough times. It can spark ideas for new products, services, or marketing efforts. Or it can simply make an ordinary day a little brighter.

Although we may not realize it at first glance, inspiration is all around us. It can take many forms, and it can show itself in things that look like the exact opposite of inspiration. By keeping our eyes open and looking at things in the most positive light possible, we can find all sorts of inspiration in everyday life.

Kids

Children are a wonderful source of inspiration. Whether they are our own, a friend’s or a family member’s, kids never cease to amaze. Small children are especially inspirational, because they have so much to learn and tend to keep at it until they get it right.

For example, think about a child who is learning to walk. It’s certainly not something that happens overnight. First he gets up on his knees and crawls, and then when he’s mastered that he pulls himself up and stands. Eventually he’s holding onto things and taking small steps, and before you know it he’s walking all over the place on his own.

Kids go through many similar learning processes. When they find something they want to do, they keep at it until they get it right. If a child can be that motivated, so can an adult, right?

Think about a new business. Doesn’t it remind you of a young infant or child? It needs to grow and evolve and learn to stand on its own.

Nature

Nature is a beautiful place to look for inspiration. There are tons of examples that entrepreneurs could follow from plants and wildlife.

Beavers work together to build and repair dams. Plants sometimes grow and flourish in places that we would never dream that they could. I live in the desert and it amazes me how cacti grow in rocky areas.

Birds search high and low until they’ve found everything they need to build nests for their babies. These are just a few of the things in nature that can inspire us.

Art and Entertainment

Inspiration can often be found in art. Just looking at the artistry and craftsmanship of our favorite pieces can be inspiring. The attention to detail can inspire us to put the same amount of effort into the things we do for our business.

The movies and television shows we watch and the music we listen to can provide inspiration. Think of some of the media that you may have watched recently that left you moved, encouraged and motivated.

These are just a sample of the things that we can look to when we need inspiration. If we look at things in the right way, we can find inspiration all around us. This inspiration can then be channeled into our business endeavors, giving us the fuel we need to succeed.

At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning. We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute Discovery Session.
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5 Ways Coaching Can Help You Succeed with Your Business Goals
- May 9, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
Starting and growing a business is hard work. If you’ve never done it before, it can be confusing and overwhelming. You may be in the business of your dreams, but frustrations can make it seem like you will never get off the ground.

Ambition and motivation are two key factors in success. But sometimes you need something more. A coach can share knowledge and inspiration with you and help you find the things within yourself to help you succeed. So let’s take a look at some ways that a business coach can help you to reach your goals:

1. Coaches can help you gain an objective view of yourself. Often we are the last people to realize our own strengths and weaknesses. A coach can give you insight into which traits are standing between you and success, and which ones you need to concentrate on using to your advantage.

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2. Coaches can help you discover how to work more efficiently. When you have a million things to do and little or no help, it’s not unusual to become overwhelmed and not work as efficiently as you could. Your coach can teach you how to sort out priorities and get your work done more quickly and with less stress.

3. A coach can help you delegate and outsource effectively. Sometimes you may be tempted to do it all yourself, but that’s often just plain impractical. A coach can help you determine whether you should hire employees or outsource work. She can also give you pointers on how to assign and keep track of work for optimum efficiency.

4. A coach can share knowledge and connections that you might not otherwise have access to. Coaches have experienced the ups and downs of business, and they’ve gained insights along the way that only come with that kind of experience. This makes them uniquely qualified to help with a variety of problems. And if they don’t know the answer, chances are they know someone who does.

5. Having a coach can give you more confidence. It’s comforting to have someone with knowledge and experience on your side, supporting you all the way. This results in an increase in confidence can kick your motivation into overdrive and help you take your business to the next level.

As an online marketing coach I have been through the stages of starting and running a business, and I know what elements you need to succeed online. I offer advice and support that can help you achieve your business goals and assist you with the overwhelming choices that you face daily. Visit here to get more information about working with me.

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Branding is an Essential Part of Your Business Identity
- April 27, 2013
- 0 comments
- by Wanda Baader
Branding is the process of using logos, taglines, and marketing to get your product or service to become a household name. We all know how branding works even if we don’t know that we do. But, is branding a plus for your business or a liability? It is definitely an essential part of your business identity.

When you think of certain products, a picture begins to form in your head. Take, for instance, Nike. “Just do it” comes to mind. That is the result of product branding. Now, if you hear a brand name and it conjures up an image of poor customer service the last time you called, that is also a result of branding but a negative one.

The big corporations are so big because their marketing included making their products a household name. They found a product or service that everyone could use and made it indispensable through creative advertising and marketing. Everywhere anyone looked, they saw something that represented the brand so the product was fresh in their mind.

In this world, a new product is developed practically every day. Inventors and businesspeople are looking for the next big “thing” to hit the market. All you have to do is look at companies like Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Disney to know that if you can sell one product reliably, others will follow.

People are more likely to buy from you if they can associate your product with a positive brand. When none of the products have a branded reputation, it is a toss-up. Customers could pick you or someone else depending on what kind of mood they are in that day. That is not the kind of business we want to do.

Branding is a total package for any business and that includes small or home-based businesses. Giving poor customer service for a product that people will use does not inspire loyalty. Using a logo that doesn’t really say much about your product won’t steer people to your business, no matter how great a product it might be. Compatibility and consistency are important when it comes to branding.

On the downside, if even one customer gives you a bad report, it could label your brand with a negative name. When using branding the business name, logo, stationery, customer service, marketing tools, and finished product have to coincide with your company’s mission and ideals. Wanting to be known as the “best organic soap on the market” will go down the tubes if you start using additives when demand gets too high.

Branding can be a business’ best friend if done right. Customers will sing your praises to others and business will increase. On the other hand, let a part of the branding strategy get sloppy and it could spell disaster for the product or service and your reputation. Make sure your customer identifies with your branding, it’s essential.

At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning. We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE.

Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute Discovery Session.

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