Have you ever given thought to how much you talk to communicate your brand? You send branding messages through all of your verbal communication whether it is your formal elevator speech, outgoing voice mail message, your on hold music or script, teleclasses, how you answer the phone, how you describe your business, and how you greet people as they walk in your office or store. All of these things communicate your brand. Even your general attitude comes across is verbal communication. If you are a motivational speaker and your social media updates complain about the weather, how much you are working and how upset you are with the dog, you are not likely to be reinforcing your brand. In fact, you are on the fast track to derailing your brand faster than Speedy Gonzalez can chase another Looney Tunes character.
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Your Brand, In Writing
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
Your written communications include the words, phrases, and characteristics that set a brand apart. Many times the owner of a business has a certain catch-phrase or sound bite he or she uses over and over. I encourage them to use that in their businesses as a way to stand out and reinforce their brand. The words, attitude and overall feel of your communication are your brand voice.”
Your Brand, The Visuals
Monday, September 19th, 2011Everything that you see when communicating your business is part of your visual branding. These elements include a logo, business cards, flyers, brochures, letterhead, envelopes, headshots, product photos,
web site, newsletters, blogs and social media background. Believe it or not, things like your hairstyle and clothing are also included in this category.
Action Step: Every visual touch point you have with your clients and potential clients is sending a message. Look are your brand from a visual perspective and assess if you on-brand in your visual branding.
© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing
Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RichLifeMarketing.com.
How to Assess Your Brand Promise
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011A 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:
- Is it unique?
- What evidence makes it believable?
- Is it compelling?
- 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…)
Elevate Your Brand with This Simple Tactic
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011When 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…)
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