The Art of Successful Branding

Written by Dina Giolitto


Branding: it’s a term that carries great weight inrepparttar world of advertising. Successful branding is best illustrated byrepparttar 100598 world’s most prominent corporations, but it’s no less important torepparttar 100599 small business owner. Your Brand is your identity; it’s every single puzzle piece, fitted intorepparttar 100600 big picture of your company. From your name and logo to your business philosophy and corporate mission; from your advertising campaign message to your design elements; from your products and services; all that is owned, produced, stated, sold and marketed by your company falls underrepparttar 100601 broad heading of your Brand.

What exactly is a “brand?” The term probably originated at a time when when ours was a strictly agricultural society. Ranchers take a branding iron to their cattle, as a way to signify they OWN those cows. Likewise, modern corporations choose a logo to brand their name intorepparttar 100602 mind ofrepparttar 100603 consumer. Every time you label an ad or website with your company logo; every time you take a political stance on behalf of your corporation, you’re putting your brand into effect. And if a brand indicates ownership, then it should be your ultimate mission to dominate, or own, your niche. Brand your company. Ownrepparttar 100604 cow.

How do you determine your style of branding? Analyze your audience. Zero in onrepparttar 100605 group you’re trying to reach. Are they male, female, or both? What'srepparttar 100606 age group and economical level? What are their spending habits, their values? How do they TALK? What are they concerned about? What do they think they NEED? Where will their focus be in six months? And most importantly, how does your marketable product fit intorepparttar 100607 scheme? If you never really get to know your audience, you can read allrepparttar 100608 marketing how-to strategies inrepparttar 100609 world, and it isn't going to mean diddly-squat for your business. It isn’t going to help you build your brand.

What’srepparttar 100610 next step? Always, always, always put yourself in their shoes. Jump right into their heads, if you can. Think of your audience duringrepparttar 100611 business-plan conception process. How do they communicate? What do they find visually appealing? Are you marketing to senior citizens? Use bigger fonts, a nostalgic tone, and a morally forthright attitude. Is itrepparttar 100612 filthy, stinking rich whom you’re trying to attract? Saverepparttar 100613 Crazy Eddie shtick, because money is no object here. Every bit of energy used to promote your brand should be focused toward winning over your key customer.

There will be a time when you completely lose sight of who you’re trying to attract. This, in turn, dilutesrepparttar 100614 power of your brand. You’ll be inrepparttar 100615 middle of writing an ad, when suddenly your head is racing with potential buyer types. This happened to me once during my writing stint with a digital media company who sold Santa Claus greetings. In my sales letter, which went on for pages and pages, there was no limit to what Santa could do! He could praise tiny tots for usingrepparttar 100616 potty. He could play matchmaker to a couple of young lovers. He could patch up an argument you had with Aunt Freida in Topeka. All of this was great, but it was really convoluting Who We Were as a company, and our Santa was becoming a Jack Frost of all trades. It was no good! So we went back to square one. And through simple words and a more narrow focus on our original audience of children, we finally capturedrepparttar 100617 Magic of Christmas that we had originally intended to be Our Brand.

"Blogging" For Fun & Profits"

Written by Jim Edwards


Unless you've been under a rock forrepparttar last year, you've heardrepparttar 100597 term "blog" once or twice.

To most people, a "blog" simply represents a glorified online "diary" where geeks, computer nerds, and lonely teenagers record their thoughts in cyber-space.

However, many people don't realize that "blogs" are quietly revolutionizingrepparttar 100598 way companies and customers interact about everything from existing products to new ideas and improvements in customer service.

In short, "blog" style communication has come of age and anyone with an online business better sit up and take notice fast!

Inrepparttar 100599 beginning, "blogs" were basically an online diary to record your thoughts; but "blogs" have now evolved into dynamic websites that non-technical people can update immediately without html editors or ftp programs.

Blogs allow their authors to make instant website updates through a computer anywhere inrepparttar 100600 world with a Web browser and Internet connection.

Blogs also allow readers to respond torepparttar 100601 author's posts, provide additional information, links, expanded opinions, and more.

In short, an active "blog" creates an interactive community withrepparttar 100602 author asrepparttar 100603 hub andrepparttar 100604 readers asrepparttar 100605 spokes ofrepparttar 100606 wheel that keeprepparttar 100607 whole cycle turning round.

Unlike traditional "static" web pages where content rarely (if ever) changes, an active blog evolves in a state of constant and never-ending renewal.

With blogs, smart online businesses re-discovered a principal that small "mom and pop" stores understood for years: know your customers and stay in close tune with their wants, needs, and desires.

Large companies throw billions of dollars down a black hole every year to literally "guess" what people want to buy. Most call itrepparttar 100608 "Marketing Department."

Onrepparttar 100609 flipside, smart online businesses understand that blogs allow you to avoid guessing what's on your customers' minds and provide an active and up-to-the-minute means for them to tell you exactly what they do and don't like about your services, products, and virtually any other aspect ofrepparttar 100610 market.

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