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| Greetings!
Mid-June already? Would someone please hit the pause button?
Continuining our branding discussion, check out the main article below to learn how to nail down the one word (or two words) that defines your business.
Keep an eye out for the next issue, when we'll switch gears with an overview of a new trend in online marketing, virtual worlds. Too esosteric? Maybe, but major brands are jumping in feet first. (Think Second Life, the 3D virtual world created by its "residents.")
And if you come across any fresh marketing ideas send them my way and we'll explore them in a future issue of slice.
In the meantime, stay cool.
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The Word
Last issue we discussed your branding statement. But let's back up a little, to a deceptively simpler exercise: Finding the one word that defines the essence of your brand. Once you nail the word, you can then expand on it in your branding statement, and in all of your marketing.
 For Whole Foods the word is organic, for Microsoft innovation (although one could argue Apple Computer now owns the word), for FedEx it's overnight, for the Prius car, it's hybrid, or perhaps cheaper fuel (OK, that's two words). These companies each own a particular word in the customer's mind. So how do you identify your word? What is the process?
My experience is the process is part art, part science. Companies pay advertising and marketing agencies millions of dollars to come up with one word. If it's the right word, it's money well spent because that one word helps drives sales and market awareness, and customer loyalty. But even without a multi-million dollar marketing budget, you can identify your word, and then, with great discipline, apply the word in every aspect of your marketing.
Take Belinda Beebe, owner of organize for joy in Marin County, CA. Belinda helps people de-clutter their lives--their garages, offices, closets, homes. (She also stages homes for sale to make them sell faster.) When Belinda started her organizing and staging business, she instinctively and astutely identified her word, joy.
Belinda understood the psychological drain clutter and disorganization have on many people. Clutter can block a sense of wellbeing and make us feel stuck. So while Belinda brings her clients a neater office space or a beautifully organized garage, she also brings them joy. Or rather her clients experience joy as a result of Belinda's efforts. And Belinda herself is a joy to work with. She's bright, positive, and, well, full of joy.
To find your word, think about your business and what it gives people. I don't mean an accounting package or a landscaping project. I mean the intangible thing underneath the "concrete" product or service you offer--the ultimate benefit or experience your business provides if you will.
Sit down with a pen and paper (I find writing by hand helps free up ideas) and brainstorm with yourself and/or your colleagues. Make a list. If you have trouble, think about what word you'd like to own.
Next, talk to your top five or ten clients and ask them how they perceive you. What one or two words come to mind when they think about your business? If they can only give you a sentence, take all your responses from clients and look for similar words or themes. Then compare your own notes with what your clients have told you. See what you come up with. You may be surprised by what you discover.
By the way, can you guess our word at Credible Communications? Be the first person to guess right and I'll send you a free Border's Gift Certificate. And that's our final word for today.
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Juicy Tip
Blogs are inexpensive to launch and maintain, and--if they're done properly--a very effective and credible marketing tool.
Choose your blogging software wisely. Wordpress, Blogger, TypePad, Moveable Type, and LiveJournal are all free.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Ask yourself if you have time to keep the blogs flowing. A successful blogger posts frequently (I'd say once a week is the minimum). If you only have time to blog once every two months, skip it.
2. Identify your main topic. Make sure it's relevant to your business and dovetails with your other marketing (the ideal blog integrates with your PR and search engine marketing efforts).
3. Remember that a blog is an intelligent discussion with your audience, not a forum for blowing your own horn.
4. Keep the tone conversational. Write well and let your ideas flow. You're sharing your knowledge, experiences and opinions. But bear in mind blogging is not "stream-of-
conscious" writing.
5. Edit and revise! People are no less forgiving of typos and awkward syntax in the blogsphere than anywhere else.
For more about blogging see what expert Seth Godin has to say. |
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