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February 26, 2005
I was chatting with a couple of friends, all of us are either copy writers or graphic designers…or both….in the advertising industry, so, naturally, our conversations leaned towards the topic. This one particular friend who works in an American advertising firm is now an Art Director, so, needless ..
February 24, 2005
Your Value Proposition, or as I usually call it, your Core Marketing Message, is still misunderstood by most professionals. It's not just a tagline, sound bite or even an “Audio Logo." It goes way beyond that.It really is the expression of the essence of your business. It's the foundation of ..
February 24, 2005
7 Qualities Of A Strong Brand:1. Commands premium pricing while retaining loyalty2. Shortens the sales cycle3. Deflects competition4. Resists commoditization5. Establishes top of mind awareness (mindshare)6. Generates referral “word of mouth” momentum7. Meets and exceeds shareholder expectationsIf ..
February 24, 2005
Love him or hate him, one thing is certain: Donald Trump is a successful guy. We don't have to sum up his accomplishments for you, because his name speaks for itself. Everything he does has his name behind it and, when you hear Trump, you know it's going to be over the top in quality and style.How ..
February 24, 2005
Successful Guru marketers have a secret weapon that they use every single time they communicate about their businesses. It's one of those intangibles that are easily misunderstood. It's the ability to generate excitement about what you have to offer. And when your prospects are excited about your ..
February 24, 2005
1. It “sells itself.” I don’t need to market.Okay, you might have a solid product or service. You might even routinely satisfy your customers. They might even send their friends and family to you. But wait. Is that your product or service selling itself? No (that is, unless your widgets have ..
February 22, 2005
Starting a business can take a lot of time, money, and energy. And because we don’t want to completely re-invent the wheel, we often want to copy (legally) other techniques, strategies or processes used by others. While copying others has many benefits, namely using tried and true methods as well ..
February 21, 2005
Most people, when they hear the word branding, think logos - but in fact, branding is really much more than that. A brand involves blending the image, purpose, and focus of your business, with your core marketing message, and coming up with something which will stick in the minds of people who ..
February 21, 2005
The marketing director for one of my longtime clients used to complain “does it have to be purple again?" What she and many others don’t realize is that the color you are seeing in your sleep, your prospects might just be beginning to recognize, and if done well, associate with ..
February 21, 2005
Branding has been defined, explained and examined extensively. There are books, articles, publications, seminars, and groups all dedicated to exploring the meaning and use of brand today.Interestingly, with all this wealth of information, some of it developed by the greatest minds in the industry, ..
February 21, 2005
How is branding different than marketing?Branding is not so much different from marketing as it is an element of marketing. We think of marketing as a tree; the brand is the roots, holding the tree in place and providing constant energy. The leaves are the tactics, reaching in various directions ..
February 21, 2005
Many CEOs and marketing directors find their time wasted evaluating marketing opportunities instead of acting on them. When every possibility is followed, a meandering trail of hit and miss effectiveness is the result. Despite significant expenditure of time and money, marketing tactics may not ..
February 21, 2005
Logo, graphic, icon, logotype, typogram, logoform, image…call it what you will, a logo by any other name is the group of letters and/or symbols used in a consistent and unique way to identify a company. It is the most prominent and stable element of marketing, and should be planned carefully to ..
February 21, 2005
The elements and functionality of the basic stationery system is changing. With the advent of email, fax, web and cell phones, stationery systems must be adjusted to meet the needs of today’s business.Business CardsThe biggest change by far in business cards is the amount of information they ..
February 21, 2005
Whether it's your business card, tagline, article title, web site title and description or ad, just the difference of a few words can either pull in prospects and clients or push them away. Getting it right can determine whether your phone is ringing off the hook or you are twiddling your thumbs ..
February 21, 2005
To stand out in a cluttered world, become a recognized expertThere are millions of small businesses vying for our attention. Yet, because the marketplace is more discriminating and skeptical, it's hard to get noticed. To enjoy the greatest return on your marketing efforts, you need to rise above ..
February 19, 2005
It seems you can't turn on the TV without seeing some sort of World Series of Poker contest. Poker, especially, Texas Hold 'Em, has become extremely popular. It's not for crusty old men anymore. Poker has a new brand - it is now young, hip and cool. When branding your business, take a lesson ..
February 17, 2005
How would you like to sell as much in one year as Britney sells in one day or in one hour? Have you put much thought into how marketing empires are created? If you're selling anything then you're a marketer and you should study the biggest successes to follow in their footsteps.We've all heard of ..
February 17, 2005
Do you have the architecture in place to make sure each and every brand contact sends the right message?Thinking in terms of architecture, a building that looks great and catches your attention is probably designed so that each component looks perfect and enhances the overall effect of the ..
February 17, 2005
Your brand is the culmination of everything about you and your business. It is how people come to know you. It is your business name, logo design or other symbol that identifies your goods and services. It’s what makes you different from everyone else in business. What are some of the components ..
February 16, 2005
An artist’s statement is a statement of ideas and thoughts that describe your philosophy, vision, and passion towards your artistic creations.Ponder over the following questions prior to writing your artist’s statement:Is your work whimsical, thought provoking, or edgy?Does it portray a series of ..
February 15, 2005
To begin, let’s define “Brand Identity,” which is the combination of consistent visual elements that are used in your marketing materials. A basic Brand Identity Kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. It can be extended to include a website, brochure, folder, flyer, or any .
February 15, 2005
The right logo, with the right characteristics, will boost your visibility, credibility and memorablity – which means more business for you!These characteristics include:Consistency in use of your logo, tagline, materials. Repetition of similar elements, used in the same or similar ways, helps ..
February 15, 2005
Initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes a small business to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally “until [they] got a few clients” or “until [they] get started.” Designing their own marketing materials when they launch their business, instead of having them ..
February 11, 2005
Branding: it’s a term that carries great weight in the world of advertising. Successful branding is best illustrated by the world’s most prominent corporations, but it’s no less important to the small business owner. Your Brand is your identity; it’s every single puzzle piece, fitted into the big ..
February 10, 2005
Move over pop star “Posh Spice" Adams and English soccer hero David Beckham, the personal branding power of newly engaged Australian celebrity sports couple Lleyton Hewitt and Rebecca Cartwright could be worth up to $100 million dollars.In terms of public relations and effective public ..
February 08, 2005
Sometimes, new entrepreneurs are in such a rush to get started at their businesses that they jump right into working with customers without giving much thought to their BUSINESS NAME. “I’ll just do business under my own name for a while, until I find something I like.” While it seems easy at the ..
February 07, 2005
You'd have to labor to shield yourself from the power of Branding; it's hard to avoid it in today's business and social climate. Even in the backwoods of very, very small-town America, you couldn't emancipate yourself from the in-your- face concepts of Branding messages from all over the world. ..
February 07, 2005
In this highly competitive online marketplace, it can be difficult to persuade customers to buy from you when you offer a similar product to your opposition but with a higher price tag. And trying to beat competitors on price alone is a cut-throat business, very risky and not recommended. It ..
January 24, 2005
A rough guide to corporate identityThe tabloids report the millions spent by large corporate companies on their logos as a scandal... Those small swathes of colour adorning British Airways’ tail fin, ICI’s letterhead or Sainsbury’s checkout seem to come at a huge price.So do these companies have ..
January 19, 2005
Parades happen in every big city and many small towns. They are fun, relaxing and most people are there because they really want to be. Parades are a wonderful marketing tool if you know what to do! I recommend being a part of your local town parades. For most local home towns, it only takes a ..
January 14, 2005
Last issue, I talked about increasing your Brand Love-- meaning to increase the affection that prospects and customers feel toward your business.Why?Because increasing "affection" will build relationships. Those relationships, if made strong enough by increased Brand Love, build a bridge for ..
January 14, 2005
So... how have you been building your brand lately?Now, I'm writing this in my best Barry White voice... “How's your Brand Lo-o-o-o-o-ve, baby?"It may sound obvious, but increase Brand Love by branding better.Branding your business better will help you increase awareness, attractiveness, and ..
January 13, 2005
One of the prime motivating factors in the purchase decision making process is “trust”. A consumer will at some point for however long or short of a time, ask the question, “Can I trust this company/person/product?”In today’s ever-changing world of marketing, electronic media, email, and ..
January 05, 2005
Why pay a high priced PR agent when you can get free media placement to promote your product, service, or book?Follow these top ten tips for 2005 and it will be your most profitable year yet!1. Write an attention grabbing headline.Realize that your headline must immediately “hook" a busy ..
December 17, 2004
Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but how good is good? How do we define a good logo? Is it necessary to be colorful or an exquisite piece of art? Can a simple design work as a good logo? We are often in a dilemma.Now to define a good logo design we first need to understand the purpose .
December 16, 2004
...or Is My Brand Working?To measure the impact and effectiveness of marketing and branding on the bottom line alone is a mistake. There are far too many facets of the success equation. It is easy to lose enthusiasm and focus if there are no intermediate benchmarks of success for activities that ..
December 16, 2004
Small business owners learn many lessons the hard way - through the school of hard knocks. I recently experienced my own tough lesson concerning the importance trademarking my business name. Like many solo-entrepreneurs on a tight budget, the thought of trademarking my business name was not high on .
December 11, 2004
There are a lot of things that contribute towards the success of a business. Having a good quality product doesn't necessarily assure the success of a business. To build a long term impression on your customers, it is vital that you have a proper marketing strategy and something unique about your ..
December 11, 2004
People often come to me to assist them with developing their brand because they are unable to accomplish the business success they desire. They're experiencing what we call the Big Uneasy--the state of being when things are hard. They are stuck in an idea, unable to make it happen, and dreams are ..
December 11, 2004
When building a business as a brand it's important to avoid a myopic view and consider another important aspect of the business game as well-- investing. After any amount of toil and hard work to create a valuable product, service or company the big game is when you go public-- when money-minded ..
December 08, 2004
Make More Money Making a Name for YourselfCalling all realtors, financial planners, insurance brokers, multi-level & network marketers, and anyone else who works in the precarious and often misunderstood position of operating under a large company brand umbrella yet operating as a separate business .
December 06, 2004
One of fiction's finest marketing minds, The Cheshire Cat, once told Alice in Wonderland something all business owners and marketers should remember:"If you don't care where you are going, it doesn't make a difference which path you take."For businesses bent upon success, it does matter which path ..
November 24, 2004
Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs of cattle or stock of some type, all discriminate by virtue of a registered brand. That's a most common and accepted understanding of branding.You have just now used your mind to develop a picture that promises easy recall. You may not yet be ..
November 20, 2004
Clients who love what you do are the cornerstone of a successful professional service business. Here are three ways to boost the value your clients associate with you and your business.1. Deliver unexpected value.Delivering your service with excellence each and every time is the foundation of this ..
November 16, 2004
"You had me at hello," those famous words from the movie Jerry McGuire let Tom Cruise know that Rene Zellweger's character was hooked from that point and the rest of his talking was unnecessary. When in networking situations, many small business owners leave people with a slightly different ..
November 05, 2004
Do you want to attract new customers while building greater loyalty among your current customers? Include your customers in your marketing and promotions. By creating greater awareness of your customers (and their businesses) you may help to build their businesses and increase their demand for your .
November 02, 2004
One of the ways people get to know you is by the identity you project. Your company name, the way you present yourself, your business card and brochure, where you work, and other ways you conduct your business create an image that gives your customers information about you.Pricing is a part of your .
October 31, 2004
The strongest and longest lasting brands branch off of an existing category. Branching takes patience and time. There are two speeds for launching a brand, each one with its own pros and cons.Speed A, like a hot air balloon, takes a long time to prepare before the actual launch. PR, media ..
October 29, 2004
The name of your business is important--it's one of the first things potential customers know about it. And having unique names for each of your products and services can be a powerful selling tool. One way to make yourself and your business attractive is to have something exclusive and enticing, ..
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