posted by Brenton on June 21st, 2010
Last Friday we talked about creating a clear brand identity, and how brands that try to do it all can actually water down the strength of their brand.
I asked you to think about what you could take away from your brand over the weekend in order to clear the haze and make it stronger and more effective.
Now that you’ve had the weekend to think about it, how do you actually decide what to clear away? You’re probably even afraid that if you start chipping away at your brand you might chip off an essential bit and make things even worse!
As you develop brand clarity, start with the visual elements. Are there any icons or images that don’t really add to the story of your brand? Sure, they might look nice, but do they really add to the power of your brand?
Now think about your brand’s messaging. Is it specific enough? Does it capture the true essence behind why people buy your product or choose your small business service?
As you ponder further, I’ll leave you with a statistic that I read in the book Radically Transparent by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss. It shares the fact that studies show 85% of a company’s brand image is driven by sales interactions—not by marketing campaigns.
If you’re a B2B small business, this makes sense. Remember, as you chip away the non-essentials from your brand that you need to think bigger than just simple marketing communications. A strong brand incorporates the messages that customer-facing employees are communicating in their words and actions to customers.
Is your brand doing this?
Tags: andy beal, brand marketing, brand strategy for non-profit, brand strategy for small business, branding tips, creating a strong brand, judy strauss, radically transparent, strategic web marketing
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
posted by admin on June 11th, 2010
Yesterday’s post introduced you to a powerful technique to help you instantly position your brand in the minds of your audience—making your brand more desirable through positive comparison. The idea is that the brain habitually seeks familiarity—and familiarity feels safe.
Today, as promised, I’ll share some easy fill-in-the-blank exercises to help you compare yourself (your company, product, offering etc.) to something your audience is familiar with. Please fill in the following blank…
We are the ______ in our category.
The blank should be another positive brand that you can compare yourself to. This brand should already be known for the positive associations that you want your brand to be known for—for example ‘We are the Cadillac in our industry’. For most people, the Cadillac brand equates to premium and stylish. By connecting your brand to another known brand instantly positions your brand in a clear and compelling light.
Another fill in the blank:
We are like _____ in these ways, but different in these ways _____.
This method compares your brand with a competitive offering, which your audience already understands, but also ensures you stand out. This technique reinforces familiarity to ease any concerns from the buyer, and then tells them how you are unique.
An example of this can be found on the website of a Credit Union based locally in Kitchener/Waterloo. See how they highlight how they’re similar to other financial institutions, but also highlight their differences?
Fill in the blanks and please share your insights.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand association, brand marketing, building brand identity, positive brand building, web marketing
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
posted by admin on May 28th, 2010
Yesterday I shared the first 3 of 7 Personal Branding Laws for Marketers.
Today, let’s talk about the remaining 4 Personal Branding Laws for Marketing:
4. Law of Distinctiveness
Do be a sheep. If you do things differently, you will stand out. Take for example something our partner company, MFX Partners, they did something truly unique when they sent a client cupcakes crafted in the image of their product…just for fun! Our client ate it right up LOL 
But seriously, most people just do the minimum of what ’s expected. But little extras like the cupcakes help to build a positive personal brand.
Key question: Where are the gaps in your field or industry (or company) when it comes to client care? Identify these and incorporate them as little extras into your services to ensure you stand out.
5. Law of Visibility
Contribute to key conversations, share your point of view, don’t hide out in the background…it will increase your visibility.
Key question: What can you do to become more visible in your industry?
6. Law of Congruency
If you say one thing to impress people, but never deliver; people will question your authenticity.
Key question: What do you need to do to be more authentic?
7. Law of Persistence
Most people give up too soon instead of sticking with it. If your direction makes sense and you have some loyal people on board, stick with the plan and you will build a positive personal brand.
Key question: What do you need to do to push a project forward and see it through to completion?
Remember, everyday should be devoted to building your personal brand. If you walk the talk of the 7 Personal Branding Laws, you will build a well-regarded and truly unstoppable personal brand.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand management, brand marketing, brand persona, Brian Tracy, personal branding, web 2.0, web marketing
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
posted by admin on May 27th, 2010
We all want purpose, to be the preferred choice, to have the admiration and attention of others—whether or not we admit it. That’s why our personal brand (in other words, how people think and feel about us) is so important.
Our personal brand is all about the reputation we’ve built. If positive, it should open the door of opportunity for us to do what we love. But it can also have the opposite effect.
I’d like to share the 7 Laws of Personal Branding that I learned from sales and personal development guru Brian Tracy, but I’ve put a bit of a marketing spin on them so they’re relevant and helpful to you.
1. Law of Specialization
If you needed to get in shape you’d seek out a personal trainer or a nutritionist, wouldn’t you? People naturally seek out experts because they offer professional insight. People want to be regarded as experts because they are in higher demand and can command higher rates. Within the marketing discipline there are many specialties—e.g., SEO (search engine optimization), Social Media marketing, email marketing, webinar marketing, etc. Obviously, if your name is backed by a highly desirable specialty; you can create a stronger brand identity.
Key question: In what areas that matter deeply to my customers and colleagues can I excel?
2. Law of Leadership
Marketing today is all about leading by example. So discovering your own leadership style is essential to strengthening your personal brand appeal. People naturally want connections to individuals with a clear and persuasive vision.
Ask yourself the following 3 questions to help pinpoint your brand identity and your purpose:
o Why would someone follow me?
o Where value can I offer?
o How will they be treated because of this association?
3. Law of Personality
Energetic and positive personalities are generally liked over bitter complainers. If your personality is unique and likeable; people will be drawn to you and relate to you more easily. When defining a personal brand, start by identifying your top 1-3 personality traits…the ones that make you likeable among your colleagues and customers.
Ask yourself: What aspects of my personality are liked and valued? What is my strongest personality trait, the one people would typically associate me with?
Well, that’s enough for today. Tomorrow I’ll share the final 4 Personal Branding Laws for Marketers.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand identity, brand marketing, brand strategy, branding laws, Brian Tracy, web marketing
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
posted by Anna Fleet on May 26th, 2010
The MOO Blog, one of my favorite online reads, is treating small businesses to an entire week of helpful posts on brand promotion.
And yesterday’s post, Small Businesses – What’s in a (brand) name?, was particularly jammed full of helpful wisdom. Business names were the focus of this particular post, and if your biz name happens to be a one-woman or one-man operation that you named after yourself then you should put that phone down while you’re typing that email and listen up Sparky!
If you’re a lone person running a small business you’re probably used to acting as employee, owner, marketing department, salesperson, receptionist etc. But did you know that bigwig companies like Chanel, Jack Daniels, and JC Penny were also started by one person and named after that one person?
Yes, many small owner-named businesses do succeed swimmingly. But take heed before ordering that corporate jet. When it comes to differentiating between brand and owner there is often a lot of gray area. For instance, if many of us rely on social media as a marketing tool, but where do your personal status updates end and your business ones start—especially if they all come from the same name?
While you ponder, check out the MOO blog’s small biz series. I would if I owned my own small business. Plus, the nice folks at MOO are giving away prizes to users who share their real biz stories.
Tags: brand marketing, brand strategy for small business, marketing 2.0, web 2.0 for small business
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
posted by admin on May 20th, 2010
Today, I’d like to share a story about gaining competitive edge that’s relevant for small businesses:
Once there was a small clothing retailer on the outskirts of a little town, lets call the owner Jim. Now, Jim had run his business for many years, and business was pretty good thanks to a loyal customer following.
However, one day a big wig in a fancy suit blew into town, and offered to buy Jim’s business. The big wig was sent to make the offer by the huge conglomerate he worked for as they were planning to build a massive superstore on the same land as Jim’s shop.
Jim politely declined the big wigs offer. He loved his shop and had no interest in selling it. So the big wig left in a huff.
After a few weeks, the big wig came back to Jim’s store. He gloated, “All of your neighbours have accepted my offer, but you refuse to sell.” The he asked, “What’s it going to take?” Jim politely refused the offer again and this time the big wig stormed out, threatening, “We’ll build our massive store around your little shop and drive you out of business!”
Construction began and eventually it was the superstore’s opening day. The massive retail store stretched from one end of the block to the next. And had Jim’s little store squashed right in the middle. The mega store strung up a huge ‘Grand Opening’ banner that spanned the entire length of the store.
You might be thinking at this point that Jim should have taken the big wig’s offer to buy his store when he’d had the chance. But Jim, a man of drive and determination, had some competitive edge of his own up his sleeve. Just when everyone thought the superstore had won, Jim trumped the mega store with a banner of his own. This banner covered the length of his small retail shop and read:
“Main Entrance!”
The point of this fully little story is that you will always face competition in business, but all it takes is a little creative thinking to find an edge and to stand out from the rest.
So tell me, how have you outsmarted your competition? I’d love to hear your competitive edge stories…
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand marketing, competitive edge, small business marketing
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
One Calendar with Social Networking Powers
