E-Commerce Revolution

Category: Marketing

  • Creating a Marketing Plan

    Creating a Marketing Plan

    No business owner ever decided one day, without any forethought or planning to open their business in hopes that it would succeed. Or if they did, the likelihood of its success would be very slim. Business owners know that it takes months, sometimes years of planning before opening a business. Key to your business success revolves around one word, marketing, and how this breaks down into setting marketing goals and communications strategies, a marketing budget and remembering to be agile in your marketing efforts.

    Setting Marketing Goals and Communications Strategies

    Prior to setting marketing goals every business owner must perform a strategic and detailed situational analysis of the marketplace. Once this is done, marketing goals can be thought out and put in place. Marketing goals should include who your target audience is and what the personas are within that target audience. After personas are decided, with the help of a creative agency, you can decide what your logo and graphics will look like. Then comes deciding how to communicate with your customer and which specific media to use; print, TV, radio, collateral and a properly branded website. Last of all, set a specific goal of your financial needs you want to achieve with your marketing efforts. For instance, make your goal specific with an increase in margin on a set number of products and services or “X” % increase in sales.

    Setting a Marketing Budget

    While there is no magic number that you’ll need to dedicate to your marketing budget, a good rule of thumb is a minimum of 10% of revenues. Some companies dedicate 50% of their revenues. If you can do this – great! Whether it is a little or a lot be very careful to spend it on the right marketing initiatives and to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate where your marketing dollars are being spent and re-allocate as necessary.

    Be Agile

    The word agile comes to mind when watching a star track athlete. In the warm up routine of a track race the athlete is loose and limber, but when the camera shows a close-up of his or her face and looks in to his or her eyes, the athlete has a laser focus on the task at hand – winning! When the race starts the runner paces him or herself to maintain an edge, adjusts his or her pace and when the proper time comes they sprint to the finish line. The same applies to marketing; train hard, have a plan for winning, be loose and limber, change pace and plans when necessary. By doing so your success rate of winning the race over your competitors will increase greatly.

    Your Roadmap to Success

    Following these three basic steps to creating a marketing plan will give you the basics to begin your marketing efforts and will help you on your roadmap to success. For additional tips on marketing a small business we encourage you to read our past blogs and sign up for future ones so they can be delivered right to your mailbox.
  • Why Businesses Need Strong Logos as a Piece of Their Marketing Strategies

    Why Businesses Need Strong Logos as a Piece of Their Marketing Strategies

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    As a small business owner, whether you’re an expert marketer or someone who dabbles in it, you know the importance of appropriately branding and marketing your business. The branding and marketing mix includes the subject of this blog (logo design), along with what we have covered in previous blogs; website branding, having your brand consistently represented on social media, and branding that goes beyond your logo. To zero in on logo design, there are several elements that often come into play.

    Simplicity is Key

    What is a logo? Simply stated, it’s the graphic and visual identifier for your brand. A logo is like a key that opens the door to a big, beautiful home. A thoughtfully designed logo will open-up customers to your business. A poorly designed logo will keep customers out. Simplicity is key to a properly designed logo. Case in point, if I were to flash in front of you several logos; the Apple logo, the Nike logo, or the “f” from Facebook, instantly you’d identify them with the company brands. These well-known brands understand the importance of creative simplicity and you should, too.

    Make it Unique and Easy to Interpret

    Giant brands, such as the ones mentioned above, have the luxury of large advertising budgets, marketing teams, and focus groups for logo selection. While small businesses don’t have this luxury, they have at their fingertips graphic designers that can easily be found on the web and marketing agencies that cater to small businesses. Even if you don’t have the financial resources to outsource your logo design and prefer to do it yourself, Serff Creative recommends that you have a focus group review final choices once they are complete. Focus groups can be as simple as a few friends and colleagues who understand marketing and design who will give you constructive input on your logo design ideas.

    Graphics and Typography Matter

    Graphics is the art and design of your logo. Typography is a subset of graphics and is generally associated with the font that is part of your logo. When choosing typography, be careful that it mirrors your brand qualities. For example, iconic, vintage brands like Harley-Davidson have chosen fonts and typography that are vintage and rugged because it matches their brand qualities. Their style of fonts and typography may not be appropriate for your brand.

    Compelling Logos

    The above is a summary of the thought process that should go into logo design. While it’s not comprehensive, it’s important to understand that logo design is an integral part of your brand as it relates to promoting the products and services of your company. The logo needs to be uniquely designed to include colors and design concepts in a way that is identifiable to your brand qualities. The end goal is to have a logo that has a long-lasting impression on your customers.[/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation!” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2Fgraphic-design-agencies%2F|||” style=”3″][us_separator size=”small”][vc_column_text]

    Or, are you just starting out and need a basic logo package?

    We offer our basic identity package to help you get on the right foot for your business – enabling you to establish a great presence to your customers.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”7639″ onclick=”custom_link” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2Fcorporate-identity-development%2Fdenver-logo-design%2F|||” animate=”afb”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • How Graphics Contribute to Your Brand Visibility

    How Graphics Contribute to Your Brand Visibility

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Best-selling, branding and marketing expert, and author, Martin Lindstrom, once communicated the importance of having a smashable brand. This term dates back to 1915 when the Coca-Cola Company asked designers to design a bottle that consumers would still recognize even if you threw it on the ground and broke it into many pieces. Equipped with the proper graphics, this bottle is still a signature item promoting their brand today.

    Graphics play a huge part in communicating the right message to get your customer to engage with and buy from your brand. While brands like Coca-Cola have enormous marketing budgets to create the right graphics, you as a small business owner likely do not. While we don’t want to overwhelm you with the inordinate amount of thought and detail that goes into graphics, here are some basics to consider:

    Color and Font

    When considering graphics selection and font, you need select just the right color scheme. For instance, if you want to communicate that your brand is environmentally friendly, an earthy shade of green and a sky-like shade of blue would be appropriate. If you want your brand to communicate urgency or immediate action, a red and yellow color scheme may be best. For example, have you ever noticed that almost all fast-food restaurants who want their customers to take action and get a quick meal, have yellow and red as their dominant graphic colors?

    Emotion and Calls to Action

    The appeal to emotion combined with the right calls to action need to be a core part of your graphics selection. As one example, have you noticed how many charitable organizations use visual personas describing the type of person you’ll be helping if you contribute to their charity? A key component of your graphics includes your calls to action. Messages on your website such as “subscribe to our free newsletter” or “click here for more information” are effective. Print marketing messages communicating urgency can be a good idea as well, such as “limited time offer.” Other, more subtle calls to action can be appropriate as well, such as a dentist who offers free dental care tips on their website.

    Consistency and Clarity

    The importance of consistency and clarity in your graphics across all mediums is vitally important for communicating your brand. To make sure your graphics are consistent and clear, use the 10,000 foot approach. Immediately after departing the runway when you’re in an airplane, you’re not able to see the landscape that you can at 10,000 feet above the ground. Look at all your graphics and marketing efforts from a distance and then descend in to see what needs to be fixed for consistency and recognizability.

    Summary

    Just like other aspects of properly marketing your brand, the time and effort you think you may need to dedicate can seem overwhelming. In reality, it is not as difficult as it may seem. For creativity and smashable brand ideas from an expert, please contact us. Serff Creative Group, Inc. is a “top Denver branding agency” and has assisted many small businesses stay ahead of the curve whether it’s implementing the right graphics or other aspects of marketing.[/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”Contact Us Today!” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2Fgraphic-design-agencies%2F|||” style=”3″][us_separator][vc_column_text]

    SEE WHERE YOUR COMPANY
    STANDS ON YOUR BRANDING:

    Review yours with this 10-Point Assessment for Your Company Brand.[/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”View the Details” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2F10-point-brand-assessment%2F|||” style=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Creating Connections with Personas

    Creating Connections with Personas

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Marketing can be very complex. The thought process of getting the right message to the right person at the right time on the right medium can be overwhelming. This complexity grows when you think about tailoring your marketing efforts to specific individuals, known as personas. If you are overwhelmed with adding yet another piece to the marketing puzzle, don’t be. Developing and implementing the basics of personas into your marketing efforts is quite simple.

     

    What is a Persona and how do I develop them?

    A persona is the aspect of someone’s character that is presented to or perceived by others. In marketing language, it’s a fictitious, generalized version of a real customer – yours. Think of it as a buyer profile. Setting up and selecting personas can get very detailed or be very basic. For starters, I recommend setting up basic personas for three buyer types. While there is some guesswork involved, it’s best to make it as factual as possible because they need to represent a real customer. It is best to set up your personas based on your customer interaction with core customers. Of your three personas, find out why and when they buy from you and what triggers their spending money with you. Think of it this way. If your three personas buy the exact same product from you understand why each buys and for what separate reasons. Perhaps one persona is attracted to the variety of products you offer, while another is attracted to your brand because of peer recommendations, while another person is attracted because of convenience.

    Give Your Personas a Personality

    Once you’ve gathered up enough data on your three personas have fun and name them. For instance persona one can be Bob, a 30-35 year old married male with two young children who buys because of the variety your brand offers. Persona two, Karen, could be a 20 something millennial female who is greatly influenced by the peer recommendations of her friends on social media. Persona three being Carl, could be the 50 year-old established career executive who is at the pinnacle of his earning potential and buys because he or she never has time to shop and doesn’t mind paying extra for your product because it is convenient.

     

    Communicate the Appropriate Message

    Next, identify a message that will resonate with your personas, not one that you think they need to hear. Design these messages around their character traits and buying habits and then communicate these messages across your marketing mediums, print, social, web, direct mail and the like. It’s also important to have to have testimonials from your personas and visual images to match their profile. Don’t overly complicate your messages. Most of the time the features and benefits of your business can be verbally massaged to match the buying patterns of your personas.

    While developing personas is a critical marketing element, don’t be overwhelmed with an inordinate amount of detail. It’s really not as complicated as it might seem at first. As always, Serff Creative is here to assist you with all of your marketing needs, including developing and implementing personas.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Website Branding: First Impressions Count

    Website Branding: First Impressions Count

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a business or personal setting, we all strive to make good first impressions. This is followed by lasting ones that we hope will develop into long-term business or personal relationships.A recent study indicated that it takes only one-tenth of a second to form first impressions about a person. Websites are perhaps judged even more quickly. To immediately catch the eyes of someone browsing your website, Serff Creative Group recommends the following:

    Branding, Graphics and Website Organization

    As mentioned in a previous blog, branding is the holistic approach you take to connect individuals to your company. It can be your physical brick-and-mortar or virtual storefront, the customer service people receive when they interact with your brand, social media sites and other customer-facing contact. Have you ever visited a business in-person and found that the customer service is bad, their brick and mortar location is disorganized, dirty, dull or dingy? If a website is poorly done, it can communicate the same sloppy message. To avoid this make sure your website is well designed, with vivid graphics and is easily navigable.

    Longing for More

    When you meet a prospective customer at a social event and they ask “So what do you do?”, you should be prepared to give them a brief 30-second statement about your businesses or brand. This should be designed to get the customer to say, “Tell me more.” The same holds true for websites. In addition to the basic “contact us” tab on your website, include customer testimonials, blogs, case studies or special offers. Even better; provide guests on your website the opportunity to engage with your brand on social media. (See this blog on creating and maintaining brand consistency on social media.)

    Getting Started or Starting Over

    If after reading this, you may feel compelled to start, overhaul, rebrand or just tweak your website, but are overwhelmed with the time or talent commitment it will take to complete this task, don’t be. If you are starting over and want to design a website yourself, web design companies such as WordPress or GoDaddy are very user friendly. If, however, you think you want a professional to design or redesign your website, Contact Us. We have all the tools necessary to make your brand stand out on the web and get results. Then you have the Internet presence to make a positive first impression.

    Best Web Design Agencies of 2020 according to Web Design Agency Rating Platform[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Tradeshow Marketing and Branding

    Tradeshow Marketing and Branding

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    STAND OUT IN THE CROWD
    BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

    A routine business development effort is participation in trade shows where many small businesses use this tactic to generate prospects. One positive side of the trade show equation is that it can be a terrific way to give your brand and business the exposure it needs. On the other side of the equation, trade shows can be very expensive! With the understanding that you have picked the right trade show for your business, here are tips to help you make the most of your trade show dollar.

    Marketing and Branding Before the Show

    Creating brand awareness before customers walk onto the trade show floor is essential. Most trade shows, for an extra fee, allow you to market to customers before the show. Plan these well in advance and you’ll be off to a good start before the show begins. Pre-show marketing can be done in several ways: sending customized emails and mailers to prospects, placing pop up or banner ads on the trade show website, and setting appointments at specific times at the trade show along with promoting your brand on social media using intriguing posts and including trade show appropriate hash-tags.

    Marketing and Branding During the Show

    It’s the moment you have been anticipating for months. You’ve done all the pre-show marketing and now it’s day one of the show. An announcement over the loudspeaker comes across of “the trade show is now open.” You eagerly anticipate customers flocking to your booth. There are numerous ways to draw them to your booth. Sponsorships are one method. The type of sponsorships available vary from show to show. Some will allow you to purchase floor decals, aisle banners, sponsor coffee breaks, lunches, evening events and educational sessions. Other options are audio visual presentations and announcements at the show. Taking advantage of these opportunities is necessary as is having an engaging and interactive booth. Interactive ideas can be games and giveaways. These ideas are well and good and a good start to attract prospects. The biggest emphasis; however, needs to be the personal connection at the booth. Represent yourself professionally, enthusiastically, and genuinely. It’s important to keep a smile on your face and interact with each customer or prospect.

    Marketing and Branding After the Show

    Post-show marketing is often the most forgotten element in trade show marketing and branding. It’s easy to lapse in this area because trade shows can be exhausting, but it’s not excusable. Some trade shows last two to four days and when it’s over you find yourself anxious to get back to the regular work routine. Proper post-marketing means you must follow up with each prospect that stopped by your booth. It’s highly recommended to send mailers after the show. For the prospects who wanted general information on your company, a post-card may be appropriate. The more specific the need of the customer or prospect, it demands a more specific follow up. Sending follow-up letters, emails, or placing phone calls are all sufficient. Last, be sure to record your visitor contact information in a centralized database and be sure to stay in touch with them on a regular basis so the prospect of today, becomes a customer tomorrow.

    Need Help?

    Still overwhelmed at the thought trade show marketing? Serff Creative Group, Inc. has more than 18 years of experience in trade show marketing. We’ve helped hundreds of our customers create a proper strategy and increase their revenues and customer base.

    [/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”Contact Us, we’d enjoy helping you!” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2Fgraphic-design-agencies%2F|||” style=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Creating and Maintaining Brand Consistency on Social Media

    Creating and Maintaining Brand Consistency on Social Media

    At some point, we’ve probably all seen one or more variations of the marketing pie-chart. It is a perfectly rounded image with your customer at the center. Representing various pieces of the pie are the marketing channels with social media being one of them. This pie-chart image is designed to convey brand consistency across all channels. This insures that your customers will have a similar brand experience regardless of the channel that reaches him or her. The social media channels or pieces of the pie are a very important part of this wheel. If this gets you to think and fret over your brand identity, fear not. It’s really no more complicated than managing and maintaining your own brand personality.

    CREATING THE PIE

    How do you get your brand to have one identity across all social channels? Preparing and baking this pie is not as difficult as it seems:

    1. Imaging and Graphics

    Does your brand have similar images or graphics across all social media channels? A consistent and creative visual identity is essential for a positive brand experience. Not doing so could confuse your customer. You’ll also notice that each social channel has a unique layout. Make sure images are properly formatted for a consistent look.

    2. Brand Voice

    Every brand needs a personality or voice. What is this for your brand? Just like a human voice, there are many variations, from tenor to baritone. Whatever the pitch of your brand voice is, it should always have integrity, be authentic, helpful, and seek to serve others. If you’re not sure what your brand voice is, get to know your audience. If you are really stuck, think about your favorite brands, why you follow them and how they interact with you. Mimic their brand voice or get ideas from their approach to come up with the overall personality that best suits your brand.

    3. How often and which channel?

    When a customer calls your business, has a conversation with you in-person, or sends you an email, what do you do? It’s a no-brainer; you simply respond. Yet eighty percent of businesses who start out using social media marketing quit after three short months. Just like you would never stop engaging with a customer on other channels, neither should you on social media. The key is to consistently post on social media. Be selective. Choose two or three sites where you will find your customers. Posting once or twice each month isn’t enough to be visible. Intersperse your social media postings with a direct mail campaign or email campaign. You want them to remember you and your company and easily find you.

    4. Analytics

    And not least, it’s very important to regularly look at the results of your marketing efforts. If one channel is more effective at reaching your customer, make it a priority and enhance it AND be sure not to neglect the other channels.

    BRAND STRATEGY

    While developing a social media strategy and maintaining it can seem overwhelming, it’s really no different than a brand strategy we manage every day — our own. As individuals we have a brand persona. Our friends and family know us for our personality traits and expect us to act accordingly. At times we’ll test our own personality barriers and do something that is slightly out of character. If done with thoughtful intentions, it can lead to closer relationships or a good laugh. Creating and managing your social media marketing efforts are no different.

  • The Value of Multichannel Marketing

    The Value of Multichannel Marketing

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    ARE YOU USING MULTICHANNEL MARKETING TO GET RESULTS FOR SUCCESS?

    Multichannel Marketing in a Nutshell

    In the maze of marketing terms and channels, it is easy to get lost in the many possible options to appropriately and strategically market your brand. Yet actionable steps are necessary to effectively do so, and in this case, using the available multiple marketing channels. In this brief article, we’ll look at what multichannel marketing is, a good example of it, and how to implement it.

    What is Multichannel Marketing?

    Multichannel marketing is simply cohesively utilizing several channels to get and keep the attention of your customer. A channel is defined as the method used to reach your customer. Examples of a channel can be the physical location of your business, print advertising, a website and social media efforts along with TV, radio and other digital channels.

    An Example of Multichannel Marketing

    Medical Group Management Association® ( MGMA® ) is a good example of a robust mix of B2B and B2C branding that has good a multichannel marketing strategy in place. On their Twitter page they post regular and relevant content that is helpful to their members or prospective members. If you click on the web link on their tweets, this will take you to their website. On their website, they offer relevant information about their purpose and brand with their many resources they offer to members and prospects. Members receive email and print marketing materials with valuable information that increases their knowledge in practice management. This includes links to their website and social media with contact information for easy access to connect with the association.

    Actionable Steps to Take

    The above all sounds well and good, however before launching into multichannel marketing, the following steps are recommended:

    • Define your brand: What need or want do you fulfill for your customers? Who is your intended audience? Who is your actual audience? What are the best channels to market to them?
    • Make sure your brand is cohesively represented on all channels with your logo and brand identity. (Click here for helpful tips on logos and brand identity.)
    • Post content on social channels that is consistent, regular, and meaningful to your customers.
    • Don’t overwhelm your customers by marketing to them too much and let them interact with you on the channels of their preference.

    Results Count

    And not least, it’s very important to regularly look at the results of your marketing efforts. If one channel is more effective at reaching your customer, make it a priority and enhance it AND be sure not to neglect the other channels.

    Still Confused and Overwhelmed?

    The intent of this blog is to review the basics of what multichannel marketing is and an overview of how to implement it. It’s understandable though to still be overwhelmed with the implementation because other business priorities get in the way and are important as well. This is why Serff Creative Group exists — to help you with your marketing needs.[/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”PLEASE CONTACT US IF WE CAN ASSIST YOU!” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2Fgraphic-design-agencies%2F|||” style=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Branding Goes Beyond Your Logo

    Branding Goes Beyond Your Logo

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What helps the general public identify the distinctive products or services of a company? A logo can help establish the initial impression of what catches a customer’s eyes. Yet, it’s not just a logo or about your company’s identity. Your brand must convey the true nature of who you are through many aspects of the company by your brand awareness.

    Branding is what people think of first that sticks in their mind, of what your company is about. It’s your culture, your reputation, and your personality that shows what you are all about that makes that experience a memorable one. That is how branding works. A company logo cannot encapsulate all of that, however it is a vital part of the branding to give the visual impression of who you are.

    Brand Positioning

    To establish your mark within the industry, you must have a very good understanding of your vision and mission of your company.

    • Product and Services. Show how your product or services solve the problem for your customers or clients in a compelling way.
    • Marketing Focus. Take time to understand who your customer is and target them specifically through marketing campaigns. Target some campaigns to your general target market and others to your best customers within that target.
    • Separate Yourself from the Competition. Realize what value you bring when you compare yourself to your competition. Leverage those differences to make yourself shine above the rest as a company.
    • What are the Benefits of Working with You? Have your most valuable aspects that you provide as the best experience out in front of people at all times. Help them see the benefits of why they should work with you.

    These areas establish a strong brand presence through what people will experience when they work with you.

    Brand Experience — Raising the Bar

    fedex_logoFedEx changed the world of how we do business for connecting companies around the world in other countries to sending a package across town. Their branding is not all about the white, purple, and orange trucks or their office locations that makes them stand out. It’s about the customer service, the reputation of a fast and reliable service, along with the promise that you will have your package in your customer’s hands the next day. Raising the bar on how we view shipping and getting business done in a world of instant satisfaction. FedEx delivers that fast and committed experience.

    Chick-fil-A does an exceptional job at the consumer level for branding. Imagine yourself as you walk into one of their restaurants to purchase a meal. The logo gives the impression that they are all about Chicken and providing a meal to you. That’s the starting point, however it’s not until you engage with one of their employees and receive a meal that you realize the difference compared to their competition. Their employees go out of their way to make sure you are having a pleasant experience at their location. The food is always hot and fresh to the best of their ability for a great meal. Even the management is checking on you to assure you are having the best experience during your visit.

    Strategy for the Big Picture

    Where do you feel your company stands in the market?
    How well do you do against your competition if you’re a consumer based or business-to-business for your services? It takes time, laser focus, and purposeful efforts to make your company experience stand out beyond others around you. The logo is the first step for establishing a good presence. Take the time to develop a strong identity that does encapsulate your passion and vision for your company in a logo. The tagline can help steer the understanding of what you are about.

    Evaluate how your services provide a need and solve a problem for your customers and clientele on an ongoing basis.

    Market to your target audience in effective ways through print material, website and email marketing, social media exposure, and one-on-one connections. Building a relationship with your target market can mean long-term relationships with very loyal customers. So do not forgot about those long-time clients and just assume they will be loyal forever. Continue to nurture that experience to help them stay loyal to you and business.

    Branding does go beyond a logo for what you stand for in the marketplace. Are you staying relevant, visibly strong, and approachable to your customers? That will help you grow your brand awareness and develop a successful business.

    See Where Your Company Stands on Your Branding:

    Review yours with this 10-Point Assessment for Your Company Brand.[/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”View Details” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serffcreative.com%2FneW_5ite%2F10-point-brand-assessment%2F|||” style=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • How to Create Brand Consistency for Your Company

    How to Create Brand Consistency for Your Company

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Effective branding of your company is holding true to the core values of what you are passionate about, the values you stand for, and what makes you unique from others in the marketplace. Showing this across all advertising platforms consistently will build your brand in a strong way.

    Building Awareness

    When people recognize your brand as yours.

    • This does not necessarily mean they prefer your brand, attach a high value to it, or associate any superior attributes to your brand, it just means they recognize your brand and can identify it under different conditions.
    • A brand’s practical attributes and symbolic values are inherent elements that help the brand appeal to consumers’ minds and emotions. When consumers relate brands with symbols, it becomes easier for an organization to raise consumer interest.
    • Mercedes is known for luxury. Any type of advertising for these vehicles are represented in very classy, clean and professionally styled environments. This gives you the impression of high quality, luxurious feel, and a step above the rest.
    • Apple is known for innovation. Apple rarely sells its product that focused on the features of a phone or laptop. They focus on the benefits of how this piece of technology will improve your lifestyle. Technology is all around us and is ever changing and how innovative pieces of technology that enhance your way of life. Apple knows how to attract that interest in effective marketing and branding.

    In consumers’ minds, a brand is more than just a recognizable name:
    it is a promise that needs to be met on a regular basis.

    How to Do It Correctly

    Branding is not just about applying a logo in a consistent manner, and having the right colors, it is ensuring:

    • That all messaging on communication materials are pulling in the same direction for your branding
    • That it all “looks” consistent in design, copy and across all mediums.
    • That each communication you have with a customer is growing the relationship and building awareness to ensure trust.

    If you’re not consistent, it will cause consumers to lose trust in your brand and its messaging.

    Connecting All Marketing Mediums

    Direct Mail and Email

    • Multi-touch campaigns
    • Branding with visuals and copy to maintain consistency

    Print to Web

    • Taking it online

    Website and Social Media

    • Your online branding presence

    The Value of Your Brand

    What does your product or service means to your customers’ lifestyles?

    • Does it makes it easier on their life or job?
    • Will it give them confidence in what programs they are developing?
    • Will it improve the sales process to prospects with a strong brand?

    Or in other terms, it’s called Brand Equity. The sum total of all the different values people attach to the brand, or the holistic value of the brand to its owner as a corporate asset.

     

    A brand is nearly worthless unless it enjoys some equity in the marketplace. Without brand equity, you simply have a commodity product.

    Perceived Quality or Emotional Attachment

    • The added value to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment.

    Nike associates its products with star athletes, hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. For Nike, it’s not just the shoe’s features that sell the shoe.

    What Does it Mean to Your Business?

    Regardless if you have been in business for 80 years or just opening your doors as a new business, brand consistency can make or break your success.

    Using your logo, colors, key messaging about your business and services in a consistent manner helps build the brand awareness that you want.

    If you are showing a new product online, providing a sales brochure to a prospective client, or discussing your services with someone at a tradeshow it all connects to your branding. This does not mean that everything is exactly the same, however it does set guidelines for keeping the message true to your main company focus.

    Creating a proper Branding Guidelines document will help you stay on the right path of growing your Brand for your company. Many companies only need a basic set of guidelines consisting of font styles, color selections and specifications, tone of messaging, and style of imagery across for anything that is created for your company.

    Ultimate Brand consistency allows you to connect with a person in a deeply and more meaningful way to create a lasting impression of your company in their minds.

     

    Time to Evaluate Your Company Brand?

    Review yours with this 10-Point Assessment for Your Company Brand.[/vc_column_text][us_btn label=”View the Details” link=”url:%2FneW_5ite%2F10-point-brand-assessment%2F|||” style=”3″ font_size=”18px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]