A brand promise is the bold claim that your company makes in its marketing. It is what your clients and customers can rely on time and time again. For example, Volvo promises safety. FedEx promises overnight delivery. Disney promises happiness. Zappos promises customer service. Is your brand promise living up to its claim? To find out, here are four key questions to ask yourself to be sure you are always addressing your brand promise:

1. Is it unique?
2. What evidence makes it believable?
3. Is it compelling?
4. Is it critically important to my market?

Let’s put these questions into action. Say you own a spa and you are determining your brand promise. You may consider using the brand promise of pampering your clients. Let’s run the four-question test on this potential brand promise: (more…)

When big brands want to create a bigger footprint, impact or enter a new market, one of the things they do is attach themselves to a bigger brand. It’s called a strategic brand alliance. And you can do the same thing.

Case in point: Think about Madonna back in the day. Remember back in the 80s when her star was on the rise? She was a household name and enjoyed plenty of fame, fortune and money. But she really wanted a movie career. So what’s a huge music star to do? How about marry a big movie star like Sean Penn? While she may or may not have consciously sought-out a movie star, it certainly couldn’t hurt, right?

In other words, Madonna aligned herself with a brand in the industry she wanted to be a part of. She started hanging out with the movers and shakers in that industry and networking there. (Yes, even movie stars network!)

I realize this example is a bit outrageous. And I’m not suggesting that you drop your significant other to seek out someone else for the benefit of your business. I am suggesting that you can elevate your brand by associating with businesses and people who have stronger brands and more name recognition than you. It’s a common business practice that many small business owners tend overlook. (more…)

When designing any marketing collateral, it’s important to understand that most people make decisions based on emotion, not logic. I know that many people think that they are personally immune to this reality, but studies show this is true for the vast majority of people. Knowing this will help you reach your ideal clients and customers and generate more sales. Here are my top six tips to apply when developing a flyer, brochure or any sales or marketing piece. (more…)