Branding Basics: Time To Flaunt What You've Got

You've been reading my posts and following my advice - right? So by now you've developed a kick-ass brand identity. You've:

1) Discovered your unique message, promise, POSITION -- a benefit that's powerfully meaningful to your prospective customers
2) Developed a PLAN for getting out the word
3) Determined what you need to do to PROTECT your brand identity

Now you're ready to tackle the fourth P -- PROMOTION. This is where you tell the world what you have to offer. This is when you build awareness of your brand. This is where you flaunt what you've got!

Ever heard the expression, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”?  When it comes to business development, It’s not what you know OR who you know, but WHO KNOWS YOU.

True Story: A company introduced a product but didn’t budget for promotion. A few months down the road the CEO frowned and asked, “Why isn’t the new widget selling?” We started a program of publicity, advertising and trade show support, and sales happened.

Moral: Selling starts with awareness.

 
Awareness is so basic many business people minimize its importance. But lack of awareness will stymie business growth every time.  How do you create awareness? You need to be visible. These tools can help you:

1) ADVERTISING: Often the most effective and cost-efficient way to create awareness IF you have a broad audience that can be reached through internet/mobile venues, publications, broadcast or other media.

2) MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS: Product releases, features and application case histories can get the word out about your product. This is often a SLOOOOOW way to build awareness, but the cost is less than advertising.

3) DIRECT MAIL: Works best with narrow, well-defined audiences. A good list is essential – whether you’re sending your message email or surface mail.

4) TRADE SHOWS/EVENTS:  Attendees come to learn about new stuff and “kick the tires.” They may want to be entertained as well.  Make it fun, but make it meaningful, too.

5) SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:  If your audience is online, learn where they are and what they're interested in.  Then you'll need a strategy and plan for each venue.  (For example,  Facebook requires a different approach than Twitter.)  Using social media can be time-consuming but can really pay off if that's where your audience is.

A combination of these tools can be very effective. Be sure to repeat, Repeat, REPEAT your message over time so it sinks in

Branding Basics: Protecting what's yours

A couple of posts ago I broke down the brand management process into 4 Ps:
  

1) Positioning - identify your unique benefit.
2) Planning - develop a road map for brand identity programs.
3) Protection - guard the integrity of your brand.
4) Promotion - build awareness of and preference for your brand.

Easy, huh?  Maybe not.  I got inundated by how-to questions after that post, so now I'm explaining myself -- point by point.   We're on to #3 Protection.  This is where you marketers get to throw your weight around -- show you're in charge.

Have you heard of the term "logo cop"?  That's part of the Protection piece.  There are lots of ways your logo gets used, and many people in charge of the projects in which that logo appears.  Your plan can anticipate many of them, but new things will come up.  So it goes.

It helps to have a manual that spells out logo usage standards and that's disseminated to all departments.  But I've found these rules all too easy to ignore. What works well is a 3-pronged approach of 1) building relationships throughout your company, 2) gaining a reputation as an easy-to-work-with problem-solver, and 3) being aware of emerging projects that might include a logo.  Then you can control logo use earlier in the process and be viewed as a help, not a hindrance.

Ensuring consistent logo use is tough, but even tougher is safeguarding your brand's image.  First, review your Positioning to define your image.  Then look at your plan.  Where are you promoting your brand?  Your brand's "voice" may shift a bit among mediums due to different demands, but the message should stay the same.  Try to keep the same tone, too.  For example, a buttoned-up engineering firm probably shouldn't sound flippant on Twitter.

Another Protection concern is what others say about your brand.  Start by setting up alerts for your company's name and watch these for good and bad comments.  News travels fast on social networks so respond quickly and non-defensively.  Give humble thanks for praise.  Acknowledge missteps, fix them, and report on the fixes.  Politely refute misinformation with facts.

Branding basics: Plan the work; work the plan

A couple of posts ago I broke down the brand management process into 4 Ps:
  

1) Positioning - identify your unique benefit.
2) Planning - develop a road map for brand identity programs.
3) Protection - guard the integrity of your brand.
4) Promotion - build awareness of and preference for your brand.

Easy, huh?  Well, not according to the mini-firestorm of comments I got.  "What do you mean by positioning?' "How do I figure out a plan?" "What do I need to do to protect my brand?"  "And how do I promote it?"  All excellent questions.  I'm glad you asked.

Let's think about planning.

Most business people know about strategic planning, but did you know you can plan your brand strategy, too  Planning means thinking before you act – usually a good thing.

A plan is a road map. A thorough brand identity plan will include:

1) OBJECTIVES:
Think about your business and marketing objectives. How can your brand identity help achieve them? Brand identity can create rapport, build credibility, and create or enhance an image.

2) AUDIENCE
Describe your best prospects in broad terms. Think demographics and psycho-graphics for consumers or industries and job functions for business-to-business.

3) PROGRAMS
These are all the places and ways you are "seen" by your audience. In some of these, visual identity is key.  For others it may be more about tone.  For still others it will be a combination.  Depending on objectives, audience and budget, your mix could include:

Business stationery
Document formats
Forms
Publicity
Advertising
Presentations
Mailings
Trade show displays
Social media presence
Signage
Literature
Premium items
And more

You need a thorough list.  Then set priorities and a timetable for instituting your brand identity in each.

Branding Basics: Position=Promise=Message

A couple of posts ago I broke down the brand management process into 4 Ps:
  

1) Positioning - identify your unique benefit.
2) Planning - develop a road map for brand identity programs.
3) Protection - guard the integrity of your brand.
4) Promotion - build awareness of and preference for your brand.

Easy, huh?  Well, not according to the mini-firestorm of comments I got.  "What do you mean by positioning?' "How do I figure out a plan?" "What do I need to do to protect my brand?"  "And how do I promote it?"  All excellent questions.  I'm glad you asked.

Let's take these Ps individually, starting with Positioning.  First, remember this simple equation:

      Position = Promise = Central Message = Key Benefit = USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

This idea goes by many names, but they all get down to the same thing -- what sets you apart?  What makes you different from and better than the competition in a way that's meaningful to prospective customers?

How do you find your message?  Here's what I suggest:

1.  Talk to buyers about why they buy, what they like and don't like.
2.  Talk to prospects and ask what they're looking for.  Do they buy your competition's products?  Ask them why they buy what they buy, and what they like/don't like.
3.  Talk to all parts of your sales channel and get their perspectives on what sets you apart.
4.  Review competitive literature, web content, ads and so on to see what they're promising.
5.  Read industry literature to learn about important trends.
6.  Contemplate all this input, your view of company strengths, and come up with alternatives.

You're looking for one short sentence like:  XYZ Company delivers accounting software that saves its customers time.  Or, John Smith is an accountant who understands the human side of business.

Now it's time to drag out the five tests.  Is this message meaningful?  Is is memorable?(Probably not in this form.  Memorability is a topic to be covered on its own.)  Is it supportable?  Sustainable? Easy to understand?  Does your message pass these tests?  If yes, you've got a winner, and it's on to PLANNING!

Branding in social media

Social media is a HUGE topic in marketing communications these days.

The question I keep getting hit with is "Does brand have any relevance in the age of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube."  My answer is always "yes."

The essence of branding (at least the part you can control) is consistency.  You need to present a consistent look, message, and tone.  

If you have a social media presence or want to get started, here are some things to consider:

1. Name  According to Shakespeare a rose would still smell good if we called it smellyweed.  However, from a marketing standpoint, it's best if Rose Company, shows up as @roseco on Twitter, as www.rosecompany.com on the web, and as Rose Company Channel on YouTube.  Prospects may consider you sketchy if your name's not consistent.  This seems like a no-brainer, but I run into Twitter IDs like @sexygirl with web addresses like www.smartbusinesstopics.com  Seems like an identity crisis to me.
2. Visual  If you get to include a visual identifier on a social media site, do it.  People are visual.  For example, Facebook lets you include your logo on a fan page.  Just make sure you crop it so it's all there on your page and by each post.  It looks bad to have your logo chopped off on every post.  If your logo includes a symbol (like the Target bulls-eye), that may be the best option for your social media visual.
3. Message  In social media the term "Point of View" is used, since the idea is to post relevant and interesting content over time.  Rose Company might want to focus on roses -- why they're wonderful flowers, how to grow them, and so on.  The Morgan Horse Association should probably focus on the breed.  Followers then get to know you for a certain area of expertise.
4. Tone  Sounding the same over time is as important as looking the same.  If you're business-like/dry in one place and breezy/perky in another, prospects may get confused,  If you've got more than one person posting in more than one place, agree on Point of View and Tone before you start.