Tag: brand marketing

Successful Branding–The Importance of Brand Strategy

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Recently, I’ve run across many business owners who realize they need to update their Website, but they don’t understand the importance of having a brand strategy FIRST.

Here is a video to help you understand why it’s so important.

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Is this something you are struggling with? Would you like to learn more about how to create a wildly successful business that will last a lifetime? Please take my free mini course by clicking here.

Branding Yourself–7 Tips to Help You Stand Out Above the Crowd

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In this Internet age, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. How can you stand out with your prospects?

Here’s some ideas to help you!

 

  1. Send your customers branded birthday cards, promotional products, and thank you gifts. This will keep you top of mind and show that you care!
  2. Set up a domain for your business as well as your name. Use keywords as part of your domain.
  3. Use domain email: your name@yourbusiness.com. Yahoo, gmail, and other free services are unprofessional and will decrease your credibility.
  4. Send your own branded thank you cards as a follow-up to customers.
  5. Create your own company logo wear and advertise your business when you are going around town!
  6. Compose an elevator pitch to tell people what you do and how you can help them. Practice it until you have it memorized!
  7. Without vision people perish! Spend some time thinking through your life and business vision, mission, and values! Then translate it into business plans, marketing plans, and most importantly, your calendar!

Would you like more ideas on how to brand yourself? Take my free video course and also get a free report! Just click here to get started right away!

How to Start Business Without Money–Your Fourth Step to Achieving Your Dreams!

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So you want to start a business and you have little or no money. How can you make your dream a reality?

In today’s Internet age, it is more than possible!

Watch the video below to find out the fourth step to starting your business with little money!

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Want more help on how to start a business without money? Take my free mini-video course for free by clicking here now! Start today and you can get started immediately!

Brand Identity Design–What is the Difference Between a Logo and a Brand?

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Brand and logo design. Are they the same thing or are they different?

A recent consultation with a potential client got me thinking about this when it comes to brand identity design. What is the difference between a logo and a brand and why should you, as a business owner, care?

The following is my answer. I hope it helped you as it helped my client! Because my chief role as a brand consultant is to educate my clients to think outside the box when it comes to designing logos.

A LOGO is a symbol that describes a company, product, organization, or idea. It usually is comprised of a name and an image. Sometimes the logo is only the lettering itself.

A BRAND is an emotional connection, a kinship, that a company, product, organization, or artist has with a target market. A brand encapsulates the essence of an entity’s reason for being and communicates to an audience what is unique about it. An effective brand builds trust and credibility over time with its intended target market. It is a living relationship.

A LOGO encapsulates a brand’s message through visual means. But not all logos reflect a brand.

So why should you care about this difference?

If you only put a logo up that does not represent your brand, you will be missing out on leads, conversions, sales, and profits.

Recently, I ran across one company that really had neither a logo or a brand. Their company name was just set in a nondescript font. The business owner revealed to me their struggle in marketing because they have no brand and no logo!

Don’t get caught in this scenario!

With a logo that does not communicate effectively your marketing message, your Unique Selling Proposition, you will confuse your prospects.

A logo that effectively reflects your BRAND will attract your prospects to you. Instead of pushing them in, you will be pulling them in.

We all know what it’s like to receive solicitation calls from pushy telemarketers. This kind of tactic does not build trust and credibility. A logo with no thought to branding is kind of like these pushy telemarketers that no one pays any attention to. A brand is a living relationship between you and your customer. Protect your brand because it is your most valuable asset.

Building a brand is an essential step in building your business. You will create effective name recognition for your brand with a professional logo that accurately reflects who you are as a business. You will be building trust, credibility, and a living, engaging relationship.

And that will truly make your brand sizzle and your future dazzle because you will see an increase in revenues!

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Brand Identity Design–Are You Shortsighted About Developing Your Brand?

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We live in the microwave generation where we expect to get instant gratification. We want everything immediately.

And in these uncertain times, long-term investments seem too risky. A wait and see attitude pervades the country as we ride out a turbulent election season. Will we come into a time that is more business friendly?

Whatever is quick and cheap or even better, free, rules decision-making. Planning? What planning? We run from crisis to crisis, barely able to catch our breath.

As a branding expert, I see this again and again in the thought that business owners take to their branding decisions.

They are actually short-sighted decisions. Instead of investing in their most important asset, their brand, the business owner only thinks of what is cheap or free, making decisions because something is cute or pretty. Very little thought is put into what makes a company’s image stand out above the competition. Or how their brand image can accurately reflect the essence of who they are and what they do.

Creating an effective brand image requires thorough analysis and strategic implementation. This is a process. It requires time, thought, planning, and knowledge.

Corporations know this. They spend tens of thousands of dollars on brand development and design. These companies have longevity because they are not short-sighted. Planning and strategic implementation of their brands is a priority.

Bu why go through all this work as a small business owner? Because an effective brand will increase your credibility with your prospects and customers. What will this do? Attract more business to you! When you take your business seriously, your prospects and customers will take your business seriously. And this will increase your bottom line! Which means, of course, increased profits.

It will also increase the chances that your company will be around for the long haul. Consider this. The statistic for failed businesses show that eight out of ten small businesses fail within the first three years.

So what about you? Are you being shortsighted with your brand identity design? Or are you ready to invest in your brand image so you will have a strong, robust business?

If you are ready to invest in your business and your brand, join my webinar program starting April 10. You will get step by step help in building your brand identity design and strategic implementation. Click here now to sign up! And if you do so by Friday, April 6, you will get my early bird discount. Want more of an incentive? I am offering $50 off for the first month. Just enter the coupon code SIZZLE upon check out. I do not want anyone to miss out on this opportunity for your business to truly sizzle!

 

Brand Marketing Success–When What You Offer Lines Up with What You Say!

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Today I experienced what it is like to be satisfied with a brand.

As an As Seen on TV fan, I had always been curious about Pajama Jeans.

The commercials always say that they are so comfy, that they’re just like sweats.

Well, it’s true!

The product really does live up to their brand marketing!

How refreshing!

Now think about this. How do you feel when you purchase a product or service and it doesn’t live up to its promise? The brand is damaged in your eyes, right?

That’s why building a brand based on authentic identity is so important!

You’ve got to thoroughly analyze who you are and what you offer and WHOM you offer it to!

When your customers find out that you came through with your promise of delivery, your brand will stand out. Because they will want to talk about you! In a positive light!

What was the first thing I did when I realized I was thrilled with the jeans? I shared my experience with my friends, especially on Facebook!

So be authentic in your brand and it will sizzle!

Want to learn more about how to make your brand sizzle? Take my FREE 10 day mini-video course and read my free report!

Need to get started right away on how to make a custom brand and custom business cards? Take my online tutorial course! You can get started immediately even if it’s 2 am on a Sunday!

Want even more help? Help from a branding consultant in a workshop atmosphere? Join my webinar program starting on April 10! You will have a new logo image, business card, and web banner in seven weeks!

Brand and Logo Design–A Webinar Workshop that Will Give You a Sizzling Future!

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How would you like to have a sizzling future, one that is bright and dazzling? Is that even possible in today’s doom and gloom economy?

Absolutely! How? By creating a brand based on your passions. Whether you are a small business owner, stay at home mom wanting to supplement your income, homeschooling family looking to start a family business, direct seller, network marketer, career professional, writer, author, musician, coach or high school or college student, you need a brand to give you a path to a sizzling future.

When you create a brand, when you understand what your passions are, what your vision for your life is, what your target market is, and how to design an effective, well-constructed logo, you can go far in your business and your career. You indeed can stand out above the crowd and have a sizzling future.

Introducing my webinar workshop series starting in April that will help you create this sizzling future by creating a sizzling brand!

Watch my video to find out more!

If you are interested in the course starting in April, sign up for my FREE mini-course and FREE report at http://www.makeyourbrandsizzle.com. That way you can get real-time updates when I unveil my Brand Identity Quest Webinar Workshop Series webpage where you can register. It will be coming soon, but in the meantime, stay in the loop by signing up today!

What the Death of the Twinkie Means to Your Brand!

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I just found out to my shock that Hostess is filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy!

Is this the death of the Twinkie as we know it?

And why should you care, besides missing these delightful sugar-laden treats?

As a huge fan of Ding Dongs (don’t make jokes!) I would be sad to see Hostess go, but in reading about it I found a very important point that we must remember as business owners:

When you reduce the quality of your product, your company suffers. Period.

I saw an interesting conjecture that Hostess altered the recipe, making the cakes less tasty and more expensive. They could not, as I understand, keep up with market changes, especially the health consciousness that exists today.

Their brand suffered as a result.

My question to you is, how are you delivering your product? Is it surpassing customer expectations? I love the saying, “under promise and under deliver.” Are you consistent with the quality of your product?

If you answer no to these questions, your brand is in danger of being damaged.

The Hostess company and the possible loss of the venerable Twinkie is a lesson to all of us to protect our brands by providing excellent products, period!

Want more information on how to make your brand stand out? Get my free mini video course!

Need immediate help? Sign up for my online self-paced tutorial course or my webinar mentor program. A new webinar program is starting in mid-February.

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