Presenting a United Front

The client base is there, the services and products are promoted, and the branding is in sync. But is it really? Are you the same person on LinkedIn that you are on Twitter; on Facebook and Blogger? How about your business cards and stationary? Your email signature and your email address?

When branding your small business, make sure you're presenting a united front. Now, this isn't meant to put you on the defense, but to prompt a little self-assessment. Do your business cards look totally different from your website? Get new cards and recycle the old ones. If your small business is in its infancy and you're still toughing it out at the day job, make sure you list it on your LinkedIn profile.

Without a consistent brand message on the visual and written sides of things, the client gets confused. How are they supposed to find you on the web for your PC repair services if your Twitter handle is DanceDanceLuv, your website is Compcrash.blogspot.com, and your email is first.lastname@gmail.com? It doesn't match up. Yes, you lose privacy here. Don't think that you won't. And, yes, it's tough deciding what to reveal about yourself and your business online.

It's acceptable, however, to have more than one email address, more than one Twitter username and more than one phone number. One set of contact info for personal use and another for business use.

Seamless transitions across all social, communication, and networking platforms online or face-to-face will allow your business the highest level of visibility via word of mouth, search engine optimization and result in more clients.

Umm, Who are You Again?

You've established who you are and what you do. You've got friends championing for you and you've landed those first clients. Your confidence and brand attitude is high. You're beaming!

Great!

While networking, you're asked: Who are you and what is your company about?

Uh oh.

Part of completing your branding efforts is perfecting your 30-second commercial or "elevator pitch." And, honestly, 30 seconds is a little generous. How about 15 seconds. That gives you enough time to say about 38 impressively chosen, or clumsily muddled words (the rule in broadcasting is we speak about 2.5 words per second).

The best way to craft your elevator pitch is to use your company's mission statement. Build a paragraph from there. This doesn't have to be eloquent, as we speak more casually than we write. Plus, you don't want to get tounge-tied on a $100 word when you could've used a one dollar word! Once you've written your paragraph, whittle away at the excess until you've got about 35 to 40 words.

Memorize. Repeat. And, don't forget to hand out business cards or coupons!

Coloring in Your Brand

I was preparing to write a post about color symbolism, logos and your Brand Identity, but I found this great article by John Williams Entreprenuer.com titled "Your Brand's Colors" that said everything I wanted to post and more. This is a great read:

Have you ever considered the importance of color in branding? Coke is red. UPS is brown. IBM is blue. These corporations understand the proper use of color is vital to creating a positive image among consumers. Furthermore, color plays a huge role in memory recall. It stimulates all the senses, instantly conveying a message like no other communication method.

Choosing the right dominant color for your brand is crucial. This color should appear on all your promotional materials, including your logo and product packaging. As much as possible, the color you choose should set you apart, work with your industry and image, and tie to your brand promise. It should also take into account color psychology, which is fairly complex. Colors can mean different things depending on the culture, situation and industry. However, in U.S. advertising at least, studies suggest some universal meanings:

Blue: Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is serene and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.

Red: Red activates your pituitary gland, increasing your heart rate and causing you to breathe more rapidly. This visceral response makes red aggressive, energetic, provocative and attention-grabbing. Count on red to evoke a passionate response, albeit not always a favorable one. For example, red can represent danger or indebtedness.

Green: In general, green connotes health, freshness and serenity. However, green’s meaning varies with its many shades. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

Yellow: In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. Thus, it communicates optimism, positivism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.

Purple: Purple is a color favored by creative types. With its blend of passionate red and tranquil blue, it evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality and royalty. Lavender evokes nostalgia and sentimentality.

Pink: Pink’s message varies by intensity. Hot pinks convey energy, youthfulness, fun and excitement and are recommended for less expensive or trendy products for women or girls. Dusty pinks appear sentimental. Lighter pinks are more romantic.

Orange: Cheerful orange evokes exuberance, fun and vitality. With the drama of red plus the cheer of yellow, orange is viewed as gregarious and often childlike. Research indicates its lighter shades appeal to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with health care, restaurants and beauty salons.

Brown: This earthy color conveys simplicity, durability and stability. It can also elicit a negative response from consumers who relate to it as dirty. Certain shades of brown, like terracotta, can convey an upscale look. From a functional perspective, brown tends to hide dirt, making it a logical choice for some trucking and industrial companies.

Black: Black is serious, bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look heavy.

White: White connotes simplicity, cleanliness and purity. The human eye views white as a brilliant color, so it immediately catches the eye in signage. White is often used with infant and health-related products.

All the colors above can be categorized into two basic categories: warm and cold. In general, warm colors, like red and yellow, send an outgoing, energetic message, while cool colors, like blue, are calmer and more reserved. However, brightening a cool color increases its vibrancy and reduces its reserve.

Marking Your Brand’s Target Demographic

When thinking about your brand and what it represents, don’t forget about your target demographic. Yes, we’ve discussed branding and what it means for yourself or your business, but what does branding say to your consumers?

It’s 5:15 p.m. on a Tuesday: Do you know who and where your consumers are?

Yes, it’s great to have a general idea of who you’re targeting, but in order to maximize your exposure and gain more from your branding efforts. Here are some things to think about (you may need a piece of scratch paper for this—or, better yet—open up a blank Word document so you can save this brainstorming session.) when preparing to describe your target demographic.

• Name, age and location. The most basic elements that describe your client. That way, when referring to “Audrey,” the same picture conjures itself in your mind and in your team’s minds.
• Occupation and hobbies. What does Audrey do for a living? How many hours does she work there? When she leaves work, what is the first thing she does when she leaves work? Does she go to the gym or to happy hour; home or shopping?
• Likes and dislikes. Fruit or veggies; apples or oranges? What types of things that pertain to your brand does your ideal client prefer? Does she like watching TV or would she rather read a book?
• Beliefs and outlook: What beliefs does Audrey have that line her up with your brand? How does she feel about life? What are her thoughts on the world around her?

This list can go on, and the above is just a start. Delving deeper into your “Audrey” (or “Steve,” or “Lynn”) will allow you to automatically pinpoint your target, know when to aim and shoot the correct branding message, and ensure you strike your target with an image or idea that will ring true to her and send her toward your services.

Ready, aim, FIRE!

Top 5 Ways to Become an Expert in Your Field

We know that branding is part consumer perception. To increase your brand’s awareness, one of the best tactics is to become the go-to person for your field. Don’t think that you have to have an advanced degree to achieve expert status. Here are five ways to cement your stake as a specialist in your brand’s arena.

• Host free seminars. When you’re hosting an event, the spotlight is on you, your knowledge and your brand. Having a captive audience, no matter how small increases chatter about your capabilities.
• Submit stories to your local publications. Writing stories or being a source for interviews instantly boosts your credibility with your audience. Though you won’t directly advertise your goods or services, the perception of being highly specialized is invaluable.
• Utilize social media platforms. Using your Twitter account, MySpace or Facebook page as a way to speak more about your brand, but more about the general industry that your brand falls under is a great way to show a wide range of knowledge.
• Participate in panel discussions. Being a panelist for a seminar allows you to share the spotlight, especially for those of you new to building a brand. Being able to bounce ideas off other panelists and audience members is a great way to showcase your know-how and also learn a few things.
• Conduct an experiment. Public experiments are ways to prove the diversity of your skill. For example, one Texas stylist did a black dress experiment wearing one dress 30 different ways for a month. Such as experiment displays her versatility as a stylist, which worked in her favor, and can work in yours.

These five ways are excellent avenues to solidifying your place as an expert in your brand's industry. Try one or all of these suggestions and let us know how they work for you

Cowboys Stadium & the Culture of Branding

Here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, everyone is raving about the new Cowboys Stadium. I got the chance to take a tour today, and I will agree, it's a beauty. Brand new with state-of-the-art everything and fresh takes on traditional stadium layouts.

Throughout the tour, one thing remained the same: branding. I can't tell you how many times the crisp, blue star motif along with both literal and imaginitive interpretations football shapes repeated themselves throughout the venue. From the flooring to seating, to oversized light fixtures; the navy blue star remained a staple.


Even at the end of the tour, which of course dropped us in the lap of the gift shop, the idea of making sure your brand translates into every market you are servicing was evident with the mash-up of Ford F-150 tailgates as wall fixtures for license plates, bumper stickers and outdoor grilling accessories like koozies. Ford packaged its brand identity of the F-150 to mesh seamlessly with the culture and ideals of the Cowboy franchise, as well as gain visibility with gift shoppers.

Branding is in everything we see. From the Cowboys' perspective, branding makes us nostalgic, it makes us excited, and it makes us proud. What is the culture of your brand?

Superman's "S" was Great Personal Branding

Superman was all about simplicity. A humble blue, yellow and red ensemble along with a capital “S” became his brand identity. Same with Batman. He took it a step further created a suit based on what he might need in the future to fight crime. Not to mention, he had a killer logo.

The same goes with branding. Your costume and insignia are your calling card. What comes to mind when current consumers and potential consumers think of when they hear your brand’s name? Is it the red and yellow “S,” a futuristic bat motif, or is it nothing?

Outfitting your personal brand with something as simple as a color or shape helps build recognition. Your brand is your most valuable asset of your company. Really, who would Wolverine be without his Adamantium claws? Think about that for a second. Without those six metal calling cards, Wolverine would be a regular guy, eternally wandering the streets of Canada looking for the next bar fight.

Though you have to associate a visual statement with your brand, you must also outfit your brand with the tools you might need. Back to Batman. He had all kinds of doodads: hooks, vehicles, wires and customized boomerangs. He and Alfred were always cooking up something new in the Batcave. Though he may not have needed those high-tech gadgets at the time, he knew he might need them in the future. The same goes for branding. Whether you are working on it or not, your brand is developing. Maintaining the proper attitude about your brand makes all the difference in how your customers perceive you, which can impact your bottom line.

Even the Joker with his smeared makeup, yellowed teeth and crazy laugh always had a trick up his sleeve for the future, didn’t he? Why shouldn’t you?