Brand to Expand Your Business

If you have been following my blog, you can see that I'm well into my 90-day Marketing Makeover. I have reworked my marketing plan as well as defined my target market and feel confident to move on in the process to review my company branding.

Again, your niche has to be fine-tuned and well-defined before you can brand your company. Marketing Expert, Beverly Cornell-McGlynn, in our 2010 M3 radio interview, asks the question, "If your business brand was a person, what would he/she look like?" http://bit.ly/UXhDKZ

According to www.entrepreneur.com, the definition of “branding” is “the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products.” Sounds simple enough but what does this mean exactly?

A memorable brand starts with your company logo. Do you have a logo that is old and outdated? Does it convey the proper image you want to present to your target market? One of the best investments you can make in your company is to enlist the help of a professional graphics and design company to create your logo and company image.

In a 2010 M3 interview, Linda Kleist, Marketing Director at Identity Graphic Design, points out that your logo can help or hinder the business, as it is the first impression that you project into the world. It comes from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. It is the "it" factor" that sets you apart from your competition.  http://bit.ly/TpExhX

After you have that symbol that reflects your business, the logo and brand will then carryover into your promotional materials such as business cards, brochures, website, blog, social media pages, etc. In our interview, Diane Krueger, the Brand Identity Artist at Contagious: Cure of the Common, goes into more detail. http://bit.ly/V2xXua

Coca Cola, Nike, McDonald's, Craftsman are just a few of the most famous and easily recognized brands. Because they have built powerful brand recognition, when stacked up against their competition, they can charge more for their products and consumers will happily pay that higher price. When your brand is consistent and strong, it brings added value to your company's products and services that raise you above your competition, especially a company that may not have invested in the strategic branding of their company.

Once we have the logo and brand in place, we can move on to getting the word out about our products and services. 

Practicing What I Preach! A 90-Day Journey

My client was in a panic. Within the next two weeks, he would finish a long-term project for one of his clients and was concerned that there was no new project immediately in the pipeline.

It didn’t take me long to figure out his problem. After delving into the mechanics of his business, it was blatantly obvious that he was primarily "reacting" to his client's requests, rather than "managing" them. Even after being in business for a number of years, he still hasn’t made the effort to be proactive by getting his corporate infrastructure in place.

We reviewed his goals and aspirations for the company and came up with a 90-Day Marketing Plan. For the next three months, before he concentrated on his clients, he was to commit to spending the first half hour to an hour every day working through a checklist of things that he has to explore in order to expand his business. To help him get 'up-to-speed' quickly, he has hired me to manage his list and implement the plan.

While looking over his checklist to determine what marketing advice I was going to suggest to him, I 'subconsciously' reflected on my own business. It was obvious that I needed to take my own advice! So, I’m inviting you to come along on my 'journey'.

Today is day one of my own 90-Day Marketing Plan. I’ll be reviewing my existing Strategic Marketing Plan and determine where I need to re-evaluate and update.

A Strategic Marketing Plan is a living document that changes at least monthly, sometimes weekly, or for some, daily as your company evolves and adapts to your business environment. It is a companion to a Business Plan. The marketing plan describes, in depth, how you are going to promote your product or service to your target market. The business plan defines all the other aspects of your company.

The first thing I did was to bring out my neglected marketing plan and created a checklist of areas that required my attention. The first order of business was to redefine my target market, or sometimes called a niche market. I simply made a list of all my current clients and determined what they had in common.

Do you currently have a strategy in place to market your business? There are a gazillion books and online resources to help guide you through the process of creating your own business/marketing plan
or just email me at Sandra@MaurerMarketingMinutes.com and I will send you FREE, a simple outline you can use as a guide for creating a business plan and marketing strategy that I give to my clients.

Out With the Old and In With the New!

There is no better time than the year end to do an overhaul of the marketing you have in place for your business. Below is a checklist of things you can do to give your business a fresh, new makeover for 2012:

1. A Marketing Strategy is a living document that changes monthly, weekly and even daily as your business evolves and adapts to your business environment. When was the last time you updated your plan? Don’t have a marketing strategy or business plan in place? Now is the time to create one. Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Marketing expert Sandy Barris discusses the value of creating a marketing plan in an interview from July 2010 at http://tinyurl.com/dx7yu9c.

2. Does your company have a memorable brand or logo? Or is your logo old and outdated? Do you need to enlist the help of a graphic designer to create something fresh and new that reflects your business. Diane Krueger, the Brand Identity Artist at Contagious: Cure for the Common reminds us that a company’s logo is the starting point of the entire corporate image. http://tinyurl.com/c5v7ll7

3. Are your marketing materials consistent? Does your logo or brand carryover onto your business cards, brochures, website, blog, Facebook fan page, etc? Linda Kleist of Identity Graphic Design talks about the importance of consistent branding. http://tinyurl.com/csmcc99.

4. Are your social media sites up-to-date? When was the last time you updated your profiles and contact information on Linkedin, Facebook, etc? Is it time to post a more current photo? Are you getting the most from your social media efforts as you market yourself and your business? Marketing and social media expert, Beverly Cornell, covers the whole gamet of social media’s do and don’ts. http://tinyurl.com/bw8fu62.

5. How long has it been since your website was updated? How many hits are you getting to the site? Not a lot? You might want to have a professional revise the content, adding key words that will get you found on search engines (SEO) such as Google. Kevin Van Dette, President of Affordable Website Specialists, talks about all this and more in his 2010 interview. http://tinyurl.com/d572lny.

6. Do you currently have a blog? Is a blog right for you and your business? Are people reading or listening to your blog? Corey Perlman, author of "eBootCamp", describe blogging in concise and easy to understand language. http://tinyurl.com/ctnc4g8.

7. What are you doing to drive traffic to your website, blog or other social media sites? Do you send out an e-newsletter on a regular basis linking to your website? In a second interview, Corey Perlman gives tips on how to use e-newsletters as an effective marketing tool as well as a means of keeping yourself in front of customers and business associates. http://tinyurl.com/744wrdh

8. How current is the information in your database? Over this past summer, I purged my database of the old and outdated contact information. I was shocked as to the extent of job changes, out of state moves, and businesses that had closed in the past year. You probably will be amazed too.

Have a Happy New Year!

Maurer Marketing Minutes #33-Diane Krueger-Contagious! Cure for the Common

Maurer Marketing Minutes #33-Diane Krueger-Contagious-Cure for the Common

Diane Krueger, the Brand Identity Artist at Contagious: Cure for the Common reminds us that a company’s logo is the starting point of the entire corporate image. The logo should be used with continuity across all your marketing materials and puts your identity in front of your clients and potential customers. She also talks about dressing up your work environment with your logo and company philosophy.

Follow Diane on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Novi-MI/Contagiousa-cure-for-the-common/125874684090303 or contact her at 248-219-5520 or visit her website at www.contagiousllc.com

Direct download: MMM-33-Diane_Krueger-Contagious.mp3 

Maurer Marketing Minutes #31-Linda Kleist-Identity Graphic Design

Maurer Marketing Minutes #31-Linda Kleist-Identity Graphic Design

According to Linda Kleist, Marketing Director at Identity Graphic Design, business owners need to pay close attention to their visual brand. “Brand” is a buzz word and in this case, represents the face of your business. Your logo can help or hinder the business, as it is the first impression that you project out into the world. You can reach Linda at 586-558-9795, email Linda@IdentityGraphicDesign.com or at her website www.IdentityGraphicDesign.com.

Direct download: MMM-31-Linda_Kleist-Marketing_Director-Identity_Graphic_Design.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #28-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages

Maurer Marketing Minutes #28-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages
If your business brand was a person, what would he/she look like? Beverly Cornell-McGlynn, former Marketing and Social Media Director at Mango Languages, encourages business owners to put “fun” in their marketing effort. She says that by capturing your unique business personality in promoting your service or product, you will catch the attention of potential clients in a big way. The marketing strategy she instituted at Mango is a prime example. Contact Beverly at beverlyrcornell@gmail.com.
Direct download: MMM-28-Beverly_Cornell-Mango_Languages.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #16-Brandon Vanno-Digital IQ Graphics

Maurer Marketing Minutes #16-Brandon Vanno-Digital IQ Graphics
Branding expert Brandon Vanno, president of Digital IQ Graphics, knows that your company logo should reflect what your business is and does at its core. It is your identity, meant to grab attention and be recognizable at a glance. Most of all, he adds, it helps you to stand out among your competition. Do you have a logo that matches your tag line? Is your logo working for you? See samples of Brandon’s work on his website www.digitaliqgraphics.com or call him at 248-663-1874 or email creative@digitaliqgraphics.com.
Direct download: MMM-16-Brandon_Vanno-Digital_IQ.MP3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #14-Bob DiTomasso-Shot by Bob

Maurer Marketing Minutes #14-Bob DiTomasso-Get Shot by Bob
Bob DiTomasso, owner of Robert DiTomasso Photography, has two taglines that are examples of pure branding genius: “Get Shot by Bob” and “for a price, I’ll shoot your relatives”. It’s humorous, memorable and gets a lot of attention at tradeshows and networking events. In our interview, Bob talks about how using the slogans have increased his business and some of the reaction to it. See samples of his work at www.GetShotByBob.com. He can be reached at 248-941-4859 or email info@GetShotByBob.com.
Direct download: MMM-14-Bob_DiTommaso-Shot_by_Bob.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #6-Patrick Karbon-ALP Music

Maurer Marketing Minutes #6-Patrick Karbon-ALP Music

According to Wikipedia, a jingle is defined as a memorable short tune with or without lyrics that is used in radio or television commercials and usually associated with an advertising slogan. Or, as in the case of ALP Music, used in motion pictures as well. Patrick Karbon, VP of Marketing, tells how their company produced jingles for the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival and for an upcoming movie production. Can a jingle become part of your brand? You can reach Patrick at 313-445-0597 , email pat.karbon@alpmusic.com, visit their website at www.alpmusic.com.

Direct download: Patrick_Karbon-ALP_Music.mp3