RSS feedLeaders Should Feel Uncomfortable
By kelly
An excerpt from one of my new favorite business books, TRIBES by Seth Godin.
“Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.
The scarcity makes leadership valuable. If everyone tries to lead all the time, not much happens. It’s discomfort that creates the leverage that makes leadership worthwhile.
In other words, if everyone could do it, they would, and it wouldn’t be worth much.
It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It’s uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It’s uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It’s uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed.
If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.”
define: Brand
By kelly
This blurb is from Seth Godin’s Blog post today. It is a terrific explanation about Brand Value. Does your product or service command a premium price because its Brand Value? To create an outstanding brand you must take a wholistic approach. Your brand is every connection or impression with your consumers. It is the impression they create in THEIR minds about you, your product or service.
Posted by Seth Godin on December 14, 2009
define: Brand
Here’s my definition: A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.
A brand’s value is merely the sum total of how much extra people will pay, or how often they choose, the expectations, memories, stories and relationships of one brand over the alternatives.
A brand used to be something else. It used to be a logo or a design or a wrapper. Today, that’s a shadow of the brand, something that might mark the brand’s existence. But just as it takes more than a hat to be a cowboy, it takes more than a designer prattling on about texture to make a brand. If you’ve never heard of it, if you wouldn’t choose it, if you don’t recommend it, then there is no brand, at least not for you.
If you hear a designer say this (believe it or not, I didn’t make this quote up), “A TCHO Chocolate bar, with its algorithmic guilloche patterns, looks like a modern form of currency. “Modern” was always part of the brand brief — no faux traditionalism, but resolutely forward-looking for a new generation of chocolate enthusiasts…” then I wonder if there’s a vocabulary disconnect.
Design is essential but design is not brand.
7 Ways to Create a BIG BRAND for Your Small Business
By kelly
Branding for a Small Business – 7 Ways to Creating a Working Brand
Creating a strong brand for a small business can give you a big competitive edge and higher profit margin. A small business’s brand and marketing materials must do more than just ‘look pretty’ — they need be effective as well. For your brand to “work” for your business it should accomplish these goals:
1. Build Trust – Your company brand should make your customers think, “That company is reliable, and always delivers what it promises”. Make sure your promise is what you focus on. If you promise great service, be sure your staff is well trained understands what great service means. The key here is is never over promise and under deliver.
2. Define Your Point of Difference – Your brand should stand out from your competitor for one specific reason. It should also look more polished and professional. As a small business, competing against other small business this can be a real competitive edge. By investing in professional brand materials and a website you can immediately position yourself in a premium position and possibly command a higher price.
3. Communicate Credibility - Your brand design, slogan, and writing should all evoke a sense of expertise. To be authentic, be sure you are up on the current topics, trends or latest technology in your industry. Showcase your experience, training and continued commitment to being on top of your game.
4. Communicate – Tell your story. Be creative and explain what makes your business unique. To tell you story, you could start by asking these questions: Why are your doing this? What are you helping people with? This story will help you create your ‘elevator speech’ which should explain what you do in in a brief, compelling way. Your communication must also be consistent across all mediums – visually and non-visually.
5. Build Confidence – Your brand should help you feel more confident in marketing your business, which in turn will make your customers feel more confident in you and your company. You should love your brand, your logo, and your materials so that you enthusiastically want to hand them out.
6. Make Your Business Memorable – Visuals are an essential part of making your brand memorable. Presentation does matter. Invest in great design. Ninety three percent said that they put most importance on visual factors when purchasing products. (Source: Research conducted by the secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo 2004) Make sure your brand’s visuals have impact with feeling.
7. Build Your Business – The ultimate job of your brand is to build your business. Asking yourself “Will this help build my business?” is a quick way to decide on spending money on a marketing method. Really understand your customers to know where to invest your marketing dollars. Your marketing should pay back, not be be an expense. (Source: Research conducted by the secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo 2004) Make sure your brand’s visuals have impact with feeling.
A small business “working” brand will help you connect with your BEST customers to grow your business and clearly position your brand in a unique way in your market.
7 Branding Observations in NYC
By kelly
I just returned from a weekend trip to NYC with my 12 year old daughter. Being the brand designer that I am I could not help but notice the different marketing strategies and tactics used by various companies in the Big Apple. Here are my observations:
1. People like New (i.e, the New Coach line that just came out has been flying out of the stores for 3 weeks now)
2. Create addicts: tatoos (saw several ’sleeves’), Apple (I bought a $34 case for my ipod, knowing I could get one elsewhere much cheaper)
3. Atmosphere stimulates the target market’s, “hot buttons,” My daughter enjoyed getting a picture with the male model at the front of Abercrombie and the store feels like a club or a house party, Apple is clean and new, etc.)
4. Bargain shoppers ARE willing to work for better prices on quality products. (Century 21 beside Ground Zero)
5. Avid sports fans don’t like to shop on Sunday afternoon! The ESPN store in Times Square was empty!
6. Reviews/Awards/Top picks are highly influential. I know the car industry makes a huge deal about reviews and ratings. I was totally influenced by the, “top picks,” stickers in the Sophora cosmetic store. -Take home point: get on a list, get rated or ranked!
7. Gracious hospitality makes one want to stay and return. The Today Show hosts and crew were EXTREMELY friendly, welcoming, and genuinely made an effort to make a connection with every individual in the crowd. It was clearly part of their job to make sure the fans had fun, and felt appreciated for making the effort to get up early, and stand and wait for an hour and half to get a chance to be on television. My daughter and I now feel a CONNECTION with the Today Show, not because we were able to be on television, but because we talked to the hosts, the weather lady, the camera man, one of the set up crew members, and the head producer. I noticed the difference because directly behind us they were filming, “Morning Glory,” a feature film with gobs of crew members and a set that took over half the skating rink area at Rockefeller Plaza. We watched a few takes, but did not feel a, “connection,” to that movie like the Today Show evoked.
What is Personal Branding?
By kelly
Have you heard of it? Personal branding used to be just for celebrities or Fortune 500 executives, but in today’s world everyone can and SHOULD think about and work on their personal brand. Times have changed—on average a person stays with a company for 4 years and then moves on. Your personal brand is an important part of navigating your career.
Personal branding is a hot topic right now, fueled by the growth of social media networks. These cyber groups and the technology behind them provide excellent platforms and tools for launching, positioning and promoting your personal brand. There is a terrific article by Tom Peters in Fast Company called “The Brand Called You“. Tom explains that our most important job is to be the the head marketer of Me Inc.
My favorite definition of this term is: Personal Branding is how people describe you when you are not around. In other words, it is a combination of your reputation, your strengths, your personality, your skill set and your position in your company or organization.
Do people around you know enough about your strengths, successes and skill set? If not, your reputation could use some bolstering, because chances are the people who surround you–from acquaintances and neighbors to co-workers and professional peers–will play a role in your career. Your social network is often the source of your next contract, job recommendation, referral or line on a new position.It’s essential that you establish your personal brand within this network: an image that conveys a combination of your strengths, personality, skill set and your reputation and position in your field.
What is the difference between a personal brand and a brand for a product such as Nike or Adidas? The answer is simple– not much. A personal brand is based on authenticity, just as true brands are. Personal branding is about determining what makes you different or special in comparison to, dare I say, your competition. It is about strategically managing your image and making sure your image fits the image you want to portray to others.
So, what does personal branding involve? It starts with a self assessment, followed by a check to see if your identity matches how you are perceived by others. After this analysis comes the fun part– creating your authentic brand and communicating it to your world of peers, associates, cohorts– your network.
Personal Branding Playbook:
1. Register your name (both first and last) with a .com extension. If your name is already taken, try registering it using your middle initial or another slight variation.
2. Create a simple website at that URL. Regularly add to this website by listing your media coverage, awards, testimonials, and published works. Do it yourself, or hire it out. But do it right.
3. Establish a profile at key online venues for additional visibility. Examples include LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Also make sure to sign up for a Google account , Create personal profiles at Google and Yahoo profile, including Yahoo’s MyBlogLog.
4. Link all those profiles to your personal website. Now people can find you no matter which social media site they use.
5. Create your community. Build a community of loyal fans and followers at social sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn.
6. Create a body of work online. Establish a reputation as an expert by creating online content of in your subject area. Use a Blog, Twitter, video on YouTube, audio podcast interviews, ebooks and reports that can be downloaded in PDF form. Social Media expert, Debbie Weil offers some great tips on blogging.
7. Share your Expertise. Don’t be afraid of sharing your knowledge or giving out helpful tips or information about your industry. Share your powerpoint presentations online. Think of it as offering your target market “samples” of your product. You never know you could be your next employer or client!
Every one of us has the power to build a brand. I’m here to help you build yours. Let’s talk about executing your personal branding playbook.
“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”
- Tom Peters in Fast Company, 1997 -
Sources:
Fastcompany.com, Personal Branding Magazine, May 2009 (pg. 11)
U R A Brand, Catherine Kaputa © 2005, Self Brand
Authentic Personal Branding, Dr. Hubert Rampersand, Information Age Publishing 2009
Email Marketing
By kelly | 1 comment
1I am finally ‘walking the talk’ as I launch this blog called THE PLAYBOOK to provide brief tips on marketing, advertising, branding and design. The blog is totally FREE and is intended to keep you informed with the ever changing trends in the world of marketing. Most importantly, this is to show you an example of what YOUR business can send to YOUR customers. Read on to learn why you should consider using email marketing and how to do it right.
Email Marketing sounds easy and looks simple, but it takes more than a simple jpg image to create a successful campaign.
Email marketing can help retain customers, increase sales, keep members informed, fill seats, raise brand visibility and help you grow your business. Email is faster and more affordable than traditional print mail, and, by some measures, it offers the best return on investment of any marketing medium.
But to work, email has to be done well. Content needs to be clear and compelling. Graphics need to be visually appealing. Campaigns need to be personalized and relevant. Delivery needs to be timely and accurate. And results need to be thoroughly tracked and applied to future mailings.
And that’s where we come in. With our help, you’ll be able to:
Utilize industry best practices…
Whether it’s following the rules of permission marketing, handling opt-out requests quickly, interpreting bounces or making sure you’re sending a well constructed email every time, we can help make sure you’re on board with the latest industry trends and best practices that will increase your delivery rates and improve your results.
Create and send stylish email campaigns…
We’ll help you create stylish email campaigns, proof them for problematic content, and send them quickly and accurately every time.
Deliver with success every time…
A world-class delivery network ensures high delivery rates through our personalized send-off, ISP relationships, and delivery policies that can be fine-tuned down to the individual mailing if necessary.
Track your results in real time…
You’ll see who opened your campaign, clicked on every link, forwarded your campaign to friends or signed up to get your future emails. You’ll find out who bounced (definitely didn’t get your email) and be able to follow up with them.
Call or email today to find out how you can start using email marketing for your business.
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