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Greetings!
Welcome to the sixth edition of The Maestro Monthly, an email newsletter published by The U.P. Web Maestro. The intent of this publication is to bring you news and updates on U.P. Web Maestro services, local business news, as well as general Web related business tips. (Please note: if you do not wish to receive this email or other messages from us, you can safely click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.)
Another year gone by already?
2010... has it really been ten years since the whole Y2K scare? It is truly amazing at how much happens in a year, while still somehow seeming to fly by in an eye-blink. It's taking a long time to sink in, but one thing I'm definitely learning is that it's not worth waiting when there's something you want to do. Jump in, and don't worry so much about success and failure. We all have a limited amount of time, and for the first time in my life, the old phrase "it's later than you think" is actually starting to mean something to me. The best part is, it's truly amazing what can be achieved when we don't wait or put things off. Okay, I'm stepping off my soap box. Seasons greetings, and have a great Christmas!
Your logo isn't a Brand, unless it's on a cow.
Guest Article by Greta Berg
There's a misconception in the business community today on what exactly branding is. Some business owners feel it's their company's logo or name, while others think it's their product or service.
The truth is, they're both right. Well, sort of. All of those elements are meant to work together to identify your businesses products and services from others—but there more to it. It's important to understand that branding is more than just identifying these variables. You should view your branding as more than getting potential customers to identify your business but rather to make them realize you are the only business.
So, how do we do that? It's actually not that daunting of a task once you know where to start. The first step is to look—really look—at your business. Ask yourself: Who are we? What do we do? Who's our competition? How are we different? If you don't know who you are or where you are going, it will be hard to design a clear visual image, collateral or a marketing plan. The last thing you want to do is spend all that money on a confused message.
Try this... think of your business as a celebrity. It might sound strange, but it's not, really. Celebrities are an excellent example of good branding. (Well, maybe the successful ones.) They understand who they are, what they want, who their competition is and what makes them different from one another. Brad Pitt and Johny Depp are two actors with completely unique styles, both successful but no one will ever confuse them. They use good branding to create a persona to the public. They connect emotionally with their audience and people will pay just about any ticket price to go and seem them, and will even follow their careers.
Sit down think for a moment, "If my business were a celebrity, who would it be?" Maybe you're a personal financier, like Clark Howard. He's knowledgeable, professional, and easy to talk to; he's even funny. Or, how about Susie Ortman? She's also knowledgeable and professional but more straight to the point. Once you understand your business personality, it will be easier to plug in the other supporting brand elements—logo, marketing plan and how you approach the public. A clear and strong message connects emotionally (no matter what kind of personality you build upon) with your customers, giving you credibility, and most importantly brand loyalty. After all, you want these people to be with you for their rest of their lives.
It's important to understand that to connect emotionally with your market, you must understand them; who are they, how they think, what do they need and how can you provide that for them. You should create an experience for them at every point of contact with your establishment - from how your storefront appears, to how you answer the phone. It should be comforting for them to know that you will take care of them. This should be no problem for you, you know who you are, what you're capable of and how well you can do it... they believe in you and so do your employees. Your brand experience is not just for your target market, it also applies internally as well. That is the sign of a strong brand, one that supports a business inside and out.
Developing a strong brand is just not for a new business. You may find that your current business is having an identity crises, or maybe you just bought a business but you'd like to change its current target market. It's never too late to revise and reinvest in your business.
Markets change, products advance and you may find that your customers have a different expectation than they did five or ten years ago. Businesses are opened and closed every day, not because they didn't have a great product, but because they didn't know who they were, how their customers think and couldn't get them to trust in them. It's better to look at where you are now, visualize where you want to be tomorrow and make a plan for the future, than to slowly fade away with a non functioning brand.
It's smart to use caution, however, as once you've built your brand it must never be left alone. Building your brand is a daily, weekly and yearly activity. It should bend and weave with the purchasing patterns of your customers.
A good case in point of a business that lost it's identity through the years, is the Encyclopedia Britannica. They have been around since the 18th century. They had it all—brand equity, brand loyalty, and more. Their customers preferred them over any other encyclopedia and they soon became know as the experts in their field. Then the market shifted, personal computers became affordable and almost every home had one. A small company came to Encyclopedia Britannica an asked if they could partner up with them in developing a digital version of the encyclopedia with pictures that could be sold to students. Encyclopedia Britannica turned them down and the small company partnered with another small company which, in turn, sold them with every computer. Microsoft's Encarta soon became the new expert on information because they saw the future of their target market.
Encyclopedia Britannica did learn from their mistake... they now have their own website with over 120,000 articles. They also have developed their own digital library and are moving into the mobile phone industry, where customers are able to access a mobile encyclopedia.
Life can get busy, but it pays to take the time to stop, take a look at where your brand is in its development, and don't be afraid to make the necessary changes—your business just may depend on it!
In future articles we will take a closer look at some of the variables that make up a good brand. Until then, happy branding!
About the author: Greta Berg is the owner and prime creative force behind Company B Graphics, providing powerful brand identities through innovative and cohesive logo design, signs and printed materials. Greta has had years of experience in the sign industry, and cares about both her work and her client's success.
Miscellaneous Maestro Minutia
If you're the type of person who hates suspense, I apologize ahead of time. Look for some big changes from The U.P. Web Maestro this coming year. We're very excited about a new direction we've been working on, and 2010 looks like the year we'll make it happen. More details will be available soon, so stay tuned.
On a completely random note: my new favorite downloads are from a WNYC radio show called Radiolab. They ask a lot of questions, bring in interesting people to talk about things, and cover some fascinating topics. If you do a lot of driving and are looking for something new to listen to over the miles, definitely check this show out.
That's it for this newsletter! Please feel free to let me know what you find useful or what you'd like to see us cover in future issues.
Sincerely,
Nathan Lyle
Phone: (906)228-5884
Email: nathanlyle@upwebmaestro.com
Website: www.upwebmaestro.com
Blog: www.upwebmaestro.com/blog
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Business Tip
Step outside of your comfort zone
One of the best things you can do for yourself professionally is to occasionally step outside of where you're comfortable. If everything's fine, if every thing's the way it's always been, there's no pressure or incentive to learn something new (or even better, to TRY something new.) Though this doesn't apply strictly to computer or websites, it easily can. Many folks avoid websites, and technology in general, because they're not comfortable with it. Our suggestion is to convince yourself that it's okay to not be comfortable. Rather than being afraid of what you don't know, seek it out as an opportunity to build both your business and even yourself. You don't have to become a subject expert on everything, but becoming acquainted with something new, something that you've avoided in the past, may just open the door to your next big opportunity.
Web/Technology News
I'll Have My Avatar Call Your Avatar
What if you could have meetings without actually having to meet anyone? A multi-user program that allows you to build your own avatars, then gather to have on-screen meetings in private conference rooms, art galleries, auditoriums—whatever virtual environment feels right. A free demo is available. The program ranges from $250 to $1,000 per user.
[read more]
Microsoft fights back in browser wars
Internet Explorer 8 has only been around for a year, but Microsoft is now three weeks into working in version 9 and is already showing signs of taking competitiont with other browsers more seriously. After having defeated Netscape back in the 1990's, Microsoft had backed off from development, and new competitors took the field. Along with the new competition, it's likely that the trend toward software applications utilizing or functioning completely online is part of the motivation for a stronger focus on the browser.
[read more]
OfficeMax Adds Social Element to Elf Yourself 2009
If you haven't already heard about it the last few years, OfficeMax has a great website that lets you Elf Yourself. Upload a photo (of you or anyone else you feel like) and paste it into a dancing elf. You can choose different dances and even buy some products this year (coffee mug, etc.)
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How To Identify a Phishing Scam
The strange name sounds a lot like the fishing you do in a lake with a pole. That's because it's a similar process: phishers apply bait and wait for a bite. They want you to be the fish. These scams find ways to get you to a page that looks like the login to a financial institution or other site where knowing your credentials can benefit them in some way. Click the following link to read about how to NOT be the fish!
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reCAPTCHA Almost Done Digitizing the New York Times Archive
You may have just thought you were verifying you weren't a computer, but typing those little squiggly codes into website forms has had you hard at working digitizing archived copies of the New York Times, among other things.
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Turn your digital photos into beautiful art with Company B Graphics canvas prints: Archival Safe!
Large canvas prints - framed or unframed - various sizes.
Call 906-228-5887 or send an email gberg@companybgraphics.com for pricing and information!
Ignore That Email About Creating A Profile For An H1N1 Vaccination Program
You can ignore that e-mail that looks like it comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control about creating a profile for an H1N1 vaccination program. It's a malware scam, according to security provider AppRiver. The fake alert informs recipients that as part of a "State Vaccination H1N1 Program" they need to create a profile on the CDC Web site. The link in the email goes to a fake CDC page where the visitor is assigned a temporary ID and a link to a vaccination profile that is actually an an executable file containing a copy of the Kryptik Trojan targeting Windows, according to an AppRiver blog post on Tuesday.
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Facebook and MySpace delete NY sex offenders
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that more than 3,500 sex offenders from his state have been purged from Facebook and MySpace. Both companies have long had policies against registered sex offenders using their services, but the implementation of New York's new Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act ("E-Stop") has made it easier for the sites to identify perpetrators from the Empire State. Facebook, according to Cuomo, was able to identify and disable the accounts of 2,782 registered sex offenders. MySpace deleted 1,796 accounts.
[read more]
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