To Brand or Not to Brand - That is NOT the Question.Written by Donna Lehman
Think you can’t afford to pay attention to branding? That it’s only for rich and largest? Think again. No matter what size company you are – you really have no choice. Your brand exists in some shape or form and if you don’t invest in managing your brand, it will manage you, perhaps to oblivion. Before we get into convincing hard numbers and business cases, let’s do something a little fun. I propose that brand is so pervasive that you can actually use it to identify where someone is from. Kind of like an accent or inflection of speech. It is, after all, our experiences with a brand that shape it. Take this “From Where In U.S.?” quiz: Let’s start with something near and dear to most of us: food. What mayonnaise would you swear is best and search for in market? A. Hellman’s B. Best Foods C. Miracle Whip D. None of above If you answered A. You’re likely from east coast states and refuse to call it Best Foods, even if you move to California. B. You are from one of states west of Rockies. You’ve never even heard of Hellman’s, so why does they’re label look same? Because they are. C. You’re likely from Midwest, Missouri in particular, and you make really sweet potato salad. (Sorry Grandma) D. Can’t tell where you’re from. Maybe you hate mayonnaise. As a kid, one of your favorite sweet snacks after school was: A. Hostess Ding-dongs B. Drake’s Ring Dings C. Moon Pies D. Scooter Pies E. None of above This tells me that: A. You’re from St. Louis all way west to California. If you know them instead as King Dons, then east coast. If you recognize name Big Wheels, you’re from someplace else. B. You’re from east coast – NY/NJ – and think that DingDongs are rip-offs. C. You grew up in south, especially Tennessee, and typically ate these with an “RC Cola” to wash it down. Talk about sugar overload… (http://www.moonpie.com/hist_text.asp) D. You’re from eastern seaboard, and wondered what in heck a “Moon Pie” was. E. You’re from Canada and ate something called “Wagon Wheels”. And for a non-food one that gets so specific you’ll think I’m psychic… You need to get new clothes for whole family, something nice to wear to Grandma’s birthday (where you will not mention too-sweet potato salad), and you want reasonable selection, affordable prices. You head to nearest: A. Famous-Barr B. Robinsons-May C. Filene’s D. Kauffman’s E. Foley’s F. Hecht’s G. Meier & Frank H. The Bay And I will gaze into my crystal ball and pinpoint your location as: A. Specifically Midwest – WI, MO, IL, IN, KY B. The Wild West only – CA, NV, AZ, UT. Showdown, anyone? C. New England. And don’t let any of your friends drag you into Filene’s basement in Boston…you won’t come out alive. D. The industrial belt - NY, PA, OH, WV E. The Texas, NM, OK, LA kinda’ south F. Mid-Atlantic states where they have soft drawls and soft-shell crabs – MD, VA, NC, and parts of TN G. Northwest Territory– WA, OR H. Canada – where they eat Wagon Wheels (Maps available at: http://www2.mayco.com/common/index.jsp) How was that for brand identification? All of these brands started locally, without war chests of advertising dollars that people think are needed today. They are memorable because of experience we had with them – which was consistent and positive - so we told our neighbors. And we developed strong loyalties. If I could turn MarketUP into Moon Pie of small business marketing world – well, let’s just say my Tennessee Grandpa would be proud.
| | Oh the Tangled Webs We Weave! When We Forget What to Practice.Written by Donna Lehman
How long has it been since “Internet Revolution” transformed world as we know it? Long enough that Web is part of everyone’s lives and everyone, even Grandma, has a website or two. Right? So what’s happening now with these hundreds of millions of pages of content? Are we accomplishing our utopian vision? Actually, this might be a time to revisit what we think we know. If you’re under about 25, or a propellerhead of any age (and I mean that in an affectionate way – being a ‘geek’, ‘nerd’, or simply ‘someone fascinated with new technology’ myself), Internet is like very air you breathe. For many others it’s a research tool, a communication medium, a shopping mall, news channel and even new, improved, interactive Rand McNally of our time. While all of these aspects of web are cool or even fun, real ‘business opportunity’ of Internet was supposed to be ability to reach new, untapped markets more efficiently and effectively. So think about it in terms of your own business site: When visitors turn up on your homepage, what do you give them? Haunted by “business as usual”? This might sound familiar: your website serves up usual assortment of company information, product and service details, executive profiles, and maybe a “news” section. It’s decorated with testimonials or stock photos. Maybe there’s a product demo, or some articles. Chances are it’s missing real action steps, and some of it is looking a little more like cobwebs in corner than a tightly woven web to catch customers. It’s time for a re-weave. Or you might need to start your Web from scratch – to avoid ending up on “Websites That Suck” [http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/] list. In spirit of season, here are Top 5 things to do to avoid spooking your visitors: #1 Post more than brochure-ware. The most basic, first-line purpose of a business website is to validate company’s identity. New visitors ask “Who are you?” and site tells them. Very simple. So make sure it really happens, in less than ten seconds. After that, average visitor gets very picky about finding what they need. Make sure you keep information succinct, simple, and easy to access. Organize information in layers. If someone wants to read your eight-page brochure, they’ll ask for it, or download PDF you hopefully placed as a link. #2 Be more useful. You don’t need to do anything “cool” like have a long Flash animation intro to prove you’re on ‘bleeding edge’ (how vampire-like). That was back in ‘99. Instead, offer something rewarding to your readers so they don’t feel like you’re wasting their time. Provide industry news that they might not have come across yet. Run an online poll or survey. Offer insight and helpful hints (something along lines of Knowbits) A great collection of links to other sites can also be very effective, plus boost your Google ranking. #3 Make things sticky. When you look at your web statistics, are there hundred of page views, but you haven’t received one email? Who ARE all these people? You’ll never meet those potential customers if you don’t have action steps and a well-oiled mechanism for capturing information. • Make it easy. Gather contact info, but don’t ask questions like “how many locations do you have?” or “what’s your sign?” unless it’s essential to both you and visitor. (kidding on sign thing, except for Astrology.com) • Make it irresistible. You’re asking for valuable information. Offer something in return: A free evaluation, Starbucks gift cards, 30-day trial, a trip to Florida - get creative. • Keep it safe. Make your privacy policy visible, not in a footnote. (You DO have one, don’t you?) • Follow up. We all want instant gratification, even if it’s only a well-crafted email.
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