Branding

Where does your brand live?

August 30, 2011

…How does your brand come alive?

When we talk about a company’s brand, in most cases people’s minds jump immediately to their logo.  No argument – a logo is a vital element of how you communicate it.  It is the visual representation of who and what you are.  But your logo is just the beginning of it.

Others might point to your tagline and suggest that’s where your brand lives.  Again, it’s an important communication tool for telling people what your company is all about.  But where both your logo and your tagline fall short is that they’re one-way communications.  You are showing or telling, but your audience is not actually experiencing your brand.

Brands really come to life when an experience confirms or amplifies the promise that your logo and/or tagline might offer.  Here are some key spots that you might not think about from a brand point of view.  But, they’re places where you can truly bring it to life for your employees, customers and vendors.

Your office/work space: You know what they say about first impressions.  One spot where many first impressions are created is when someone comes to see you for the first time.  Whether you have a retail space, office space or work virtually through an extranet —  how it first appears to your audience will stick for a long time.

• Does it feel very corporate and official?
• Is it welcoming and kind of funky?
• Could it be called cluttered or filled with interesting items?
• How about neat, with everything in its place?

All of that speaks to your brand and what matters to you.

Your “first day at work” experience: Never forget, your most active and important advocates are your employees.  And for them, there are few days more memorable than their first day at work.  What is that day like for them?

• Are they assigned a buddy who helps them get oriented to your workplace, the people and the procedures?
• Is there a small gift (maybe a hat with your company logo on it) waiting for them at their new desk?
• Do some of their teammates take them out to lunch?
• Are they given training or is it a baptism by fire?
• Is everything ready for their arrival or are you scrambling to get paperwork and supplies to them?

Think how many people are going to ask them “how was your first day?”  From a brand perspective, what do you want their answer to be?

Your “return” policy: Even if you are a corporate lawyer, you have your own version of a return policy.  How do you handle an unhappy client?  What do you have in place to avoid making them unhappy in the first place?

• Do you have a guarantee tied to your pricing or billing?
• Do you have a confidential way for them to register a complaint?
• Do you offer refunds without restrictions, boundaries or tiny type?
• Do you have an apology gift or letter that is ready to go in the case of a hiccup?

Remember that an unhappy customer is likely to tell more than twenty people why they’re unhappy.  Do you have policies and procedures in place so that your brand comes out smelling like a rose when those stories get told?

Just like everything in else in life – we can talk all we want, but it is our actions that really tell the story.  How you wrap your brand around key experiences like those first impressions, the first day of work and when things go wrong will go much further in terms of creating a lasting brand.

So where do you think your brand is most alive and vibrant?

 

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Can your brand co-exist with your company’s brand?

July 28, 2011

…How do you balance your personal & company brand?

Earlier this week, we explored the idea of how your personal brand influences and sometimes becomes your company’s brand.  If you are an author, solo consultant or solopreneur that can actually work to your advantage, as we discussed.

On the flip side, if you’ve got an entire organization behind you (whether it’s 4 employees or 400) then having a very prominent brand can be problematic.

Why?

Because you get into the sticky situation of people wanting to hire YOU not your firm.  Which means your company can only grow to the peak of your own capacity.   And potential customers will be disappointed if they get assigned to one of your co-workers rather than being excited to be connected with an organization as smart as yours.

So how do you combat that?  You certainly don’t want to douse your own brand and when pointed in the right direction, your brand’s reach can extend to serve your entire company.  But how do you make sure your personal brand doesn’t overshadow the entire team?

Only the best: If you’re in the position to influence or control the hiring, you’re going to have to guard against settling.  You will need strong individuals who perform at the top of their game every day.  They also have to be ready to stand in tide of your brand and hold their own.   Be candid about the situation and help them define and build their own brands that compliment yours and the company’s.

You’re also going to have to recruit people who are committed to always bettering themselves: And part of your role is going to need to be coach/mentor.  We give a lot of lip service to the idea of hiring people who are smarter than ourselves, but you’re really going to have to walk that out.  How can you truly motivate and support them getting even better?

Celebrate your team: Get out of the spotlight when you can.  If you can turn it to one of your teammates, all the better.  You’re the team’s biggest and most vocal cheerleader.  Do it internally and do it with clients and prospects.    Encourage them to take leadership positions in the community, especially in areas where you have not already been.  Let them carve out their own path and be on the sidelines applauding the entire time.

Think differently about your products/services: Odds are your strong personal brand was borne out of you being very good at something.  And you probably built your company around that core competency, as well you should.

Let’s say you are the best cupcake maker in the world.  Your cupcakes make grown men weep.   And maybe there’s no way any of your very able bakers are going to be able to duplicate your cupcakes.  That’s okay….you keep making the cupcakes.  And if you want — your business can only sell cupcakes.  But that means you have to always be in the kitchen.  And your team can’t grow and enjoy basking in their own light.

Why not examine both what your customers need and where you team has some unique talents.  Perhaps there are some complimentary offerings that they could own.  Maybe one of your staff makes killer expresso or quiches.

Even within a niched company like a law firm specializing in taxes, there are nuances or levels that are worth exploring.    Help them find their own niche that can flourish alongside yours.

In the end, it’s a balancing act.

Every company would like to have a charismatic leader who is well known and well respected.  So you don’t want to do anything to diminish that.  But you do want to elevate the rest of your crew so that all of you can build a company that exists and succeeds beyond your own sphere of influence and your 24 hours in a day.

For those of you who have a strong presence or brand — how do you create the balance for your organization?

 

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Am I the brand?

July 26, 2011

…Is who I am as a person my company’s brand?

For many small business owners and solopreneurs, when people think of their business, their mind immediately goes to the person and that person’s attributes become the attributes assigned to the business as well.

If you are truly a consultant or solopreneur, that’s probably okay as long as you infuse those attributes with a strong elevator speech or key phrase.  You don’t want to just be known as Bob the straight shooter.  But it might be just fine to be known as Bob, the straight shooter who helps you cut reduce your health care costs.

So how do you purposefully weave your personal brand (how people think of you the person) with what it is you do?  Here are a few ideas:

Write, write, write: Whether its a blog, a column or articles you submit to online ezines, you want to link your name to your area of expertise.  The key to this strategy is you have to maintain a laser like focus.  If you’re the bomb when it comes to eliminating bedbugs, then stay on topic.  Teach me what a bedbug is, why I don’t want them in my home, how hotels and colleges have to deal with the problem and how specially trained dogs can detect bedbugs.   Write profusely and keep your focus narrow.

Speak: Offer to speak at industry conferences, do break out sessions for your local association or college.  Be the person who is so knowledgeable that not only are they good at what they do but they can make it accessible and interesting to an audience.

Say no: If you’re the best wedding gown designer on the east coast, when someone asks you to design their new restaurant’s uniforms, you need to politely decline.  Even if you’d love to have the money and the job would be a cake walk.  The best heart surgeons don’t repair broken bones.  Even though they could.

Be purposeful: It’s not enough to be known for your subject matter expertise.  If you want to be known for being accessible or for being expedient or funny or whatever — think how you can weave those attributes into your daily work. Some of it will come naturally.  If you are funny, it stands to reason that working with you, people would see and appreciate your humor.  But how could you spotlight even more?  Think of your client touch points.  How could you be sure to include a dash of your humor into your invoices, voicemail and website?

I think it’s pretty tough when you’re a one man band to not have your personality color your company’s brand.  After all, when they hire your accounting firm, if you are the accounting firm — they’re going to get to know you and be exposed to who you are as a person.

Rather than fight to separate who you are from what you do — carefully mesh them together to strengthen the argument of why they should hire you over a competitor.

Whether you’re in a company of one or one thousand — people hire people.  Why not use that to your advantage?

 

Hat tip to Jane Chin for asking the question that triggered this post.

 

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If you look just like your competition…

July 21, 2011

…Windows version of the Genius Bar

…then how will I know it’s you?

I was at the Mall of America earlier this month and came upon a Microsoft Windows store.  I’d never seen one before, so we wandered in.  And it wasn’t a Microsoft Windows store.

It was an Apple Store with Microsoft products in it!

Right down to the Genius Bar — they’d copied everything.  That’s hardly the way to build your brand.  In fairness…they did have the hardwood floors and the stools.  So that’s a little different.

But other than that — you name a feature of the Apple Store — and it was there.  (minus the cool products of course…they don’t sell Mac stuff!)

I’d contend that if you don’t have a better sense of who you are and how both you and your customers are different — you have some brand homework to do.  Before you open up shop.

Oh look, people playing with tablets and laptops

 

 

Related articles

• Microsoft Ready To Take On Apple Stores With 75 More Retail Stores (techcrunch.com)
• Detailed, counterfeit, and fake Apple Stores spring up in China (edibleapple.com)
• Viewing the World Through Rose-Colored Windows (slog.thestranger.com)

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Brand defined

July 11, 2011

“A brand is a living entity – and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time…the product of a thousand small gestures.”

~ Michael Eisner (while CEO at Disney)

There is it, in all its simplicity.  Your brand is alive.  And with every small gesture, every detail, every extra mile traveled and each ignored opportunity — you either enrich or undermine all of the previous efforts.

With every decision, big or small, you should be asking yourself — are we enriching or undermining our brand.  And then behave accordingly.

What small gestures have you noticed in others or in your own organization that enhance the brand?

 

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Smart logos

June 21, 2011

I can’t draw a stick person by hand or on the computer.  So I have always marveled at people who can really take design to a different level and go beyond pretty/cool to smart.  That’s what brilliant logo designers do.

I thought you’d enjoy checking out some of these very smart logo designs.

If you look at the center of this logo, you can see two people enjoying a Tostito chip with a bowl of salsa. Great logos often have layers to them.

Like the FedEx logo.  Do you see the “hidden” arrow within the logo?  Look at the space between the E and the x.

This is the new Baskin Robbins logo.  The old one had the number 31 with an arc above it. See how they’ve incorporated the 31 in the new design?

See the number 1 in the negative space between the F and the red stripes? Notice how the red section communicates a feeling of speed.

By now, you should be getting good at spotting the layers.  Do you see the M and the B?

Two elements to notice in this simple logo.  The yellow arrow connects the A to the Z (we have everything from A-Z) and forms a smile, to connote a commitment to customer service.

Toblerone is a chocolate company from Bern, Switzerland which is sometimes called The City Of Bears.  Do you see the silhouette of a bear?

Okay…here are three for you to discover on your own.

My point?  There are plenty of companies and websites that can whip up a logo.  And some of them go beyond the trite and expected.  But don’t settle for okay.  Your company deserves better than okay.

If you loved these and want some more…check out these logos.

Hat tip to my dad and Mike Colwell for sharing some of these logos with me.

 

 

 

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Your brand’s foundation

June 18, 2011

 

How are you building your foundation?

A brand, much like someone’s personality, isn’t something you concoct or fabricate.  You can’t put it on and take it off at will.  It’s not window dressing, but instead it comes from within your company, the culture, the people, the vision and of course…the marketplace in which it exists.

 

You can, of course, amplify your brand by doing the right things with intention and frequency.  But…the foundation is already set.

In fact…you build your foundation with every choice you make as an organization and as the individuals who work for that organization.  David Ogilvy once said “every advertisement is part of the long-term investment in the personality of the brand.”  In today’s digital world where everything is archived by Google — it goes far beyond that.

Long before you are consciously on the radar screen of your target audience…you are creating your brand’s foundation with every:

• Tweet
• Facebook update
• Snarly employee wearing one of your logo’d shirts in a bar
• Branded truck driving carelessly
• Sponsorship of an event
• Comment left on someone else’s blog, FB, etc.
• Advertising/Marketing offers

Think of each action as a log or brick.  Without meaning to — you are stacking each of those choices/actions together to create my first impression of you.  The foundation upon which I will decide if I want to keep interacting.

And by the way — your absence is as noticeable as your presence.  Those choices should be made as carefully as deciding where you do want to be seen.

Here’s my question.  How intentional are you being about your brand’s foundation?  Are you building it with a vision and purpose or is it just happening haphazardly?

 

Hat tip to Derrick Daye for reminding me of this Ogilvy quote.

 

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Brand truth: I don’t care

June 13, 2011

…Are they really the tree huggers you’d hoped?

…about what you wish I cared about.

Way too many brands chase the fad of the day, thinking they can jump on a swell of consumer sentiment and rise those profits into the sunset.  No so fast, my friends.

For your brand to be effective, sticky and enduring — it has to be about what matters to your consumers.  They have to genuinely identify with it/care about it.  You can’t make them love you.  (Nod to Bonnie Raitt)  No matter how hot the trend is or how passionate you might personally be.

Case in point — a recent study done by OgilvyEarth (I’m pretty sure David Ogilvy rolls his eyes from the grave on that one) shows that most consumers aren’t buying the whole “green movement.” In particular, men are not motivated or swayed by green marketing messages.  It turns out that their perception when they hear green is “more expensive.”

So playing to the trend is actually hurting those brands who hoped that men would be moved to pull out their wallets based on the green movement marketing position.

Time to do your own brand check.  Are you trying to force an idea, value or belief at your core audience?  Or…do you know yourself and your core audience so well that you know what brings you together?

And before you are quick to answer…be ready to tell me this.  HOW do you know that your brand is what truly resonates in the hearts of your core audience?

 

Hat tip to Kami Watson Huyse for tweeting the Ogilvy link.

 

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Your brand is out of control!

June 8, 2011

When you look in the mirror, do you see what they see?

Businesses big and small expend huge resources (proportionally) to build a brand they’re proud of and can live up to.

Remember, our definition of a brand is a promise you make that differentiates and creates an image in my mind in terms of what it will be like to work with you/your product or service.

We help clients create/discover their brand and then weave them into the culture of their organizations so that everyone knows and is keeping the promise.  But what happens once you release the brand out into the wild?

It quickly gets out of control — that’s what happens.  At least it is now out of YOUR control.  (For this discussion — your brand could  mean your personal brand, a corporate brand or even a specific product’s brand.)

How you want people to interpret your efforts and how it actually plays out are two different things.  Sometimes they’re in alignment but maybe the words are different and sometimes they’re light years apart.  How does that happen?

People.  Pesky human beings.  Who all have their own way of looking at things.

What got me thinking about this today was a blog post by Liz Strauss from yesterday.  She asked...what soundbyte do people use to describe you? It’s a brand question.

What Liz is getting at is — you either consciously or unconsciously go to a lot of effort to build a brand.  But then I get to observe, interact and ultimately decide what all of that means to me.  In most cases, it is not WHAT you do, it’s HOW you do it.  That’s how I describe what you’re all about.

Let me give you an example.  In 2008, I was humbled to be named one of the bronze level winners of the Personal Brand Awards (started by Personal Branding guru Dan Schawbel) — an honor that recognizes people who have created remarkable personal brands.  In the descriptions of the winners, here’s how I was described:

Why he won: Drew is most notably the nicest guy on the internet. Aside from being one of the most recognized and respected authorities on marketing and branding online, he is a savvy networker. Since personal branding is all about giving before receiving and not putting yourself first, Drew has become known as a connector and friend to all. For all of this, we would like to present him a bronze personal brand award!

Read that first sentence again.  The nicest guy on the internet.  First…a very flattering description.  But in relation to this blog post — I would have never described myself or expected to be described that way.  Smart marketing & branding guy — sure.  That’s what I do day in and day out — write about marketing and branding.  I am a c0-creator of the Age of Conversation books (with Gavin Heaton) and Bloggers Social (with CK Kerley and Lori Magno) so maybe a community guy or a collaborator.  But the panel of judges examined the sum total of my brand… and they decided (because that’s how brands work) that I’m a giver/nice guy.

I’m not telling you all of this to toot my own horn.  After all, you too get to examine the sum total of my brand and decide what it means to YOU.  I am using myself as the example because as a branding guy…. I preach this stuff every day.  And yet how my own brand was perceived still surprised me a little.  I’m proud to be considered a nice guy but even I got caught up in the what (co-creator, marketing and branding) and didn’t remember that it’s the how/why that sticks with people.

When you read Liz’s post, she gives some examples of the soundbytes she’s talking about.  I think you’ll see that it’s not the what (marketing/branding) but the how or why (nice guy) that gets noticed.

So….your brand is out of your control.  It’s in the hands, minds and hearts of your consumers.  What would your soundbyte be?  (And how close it is to what you’d want it to be?)

 

 

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Viva the underdog!

May 24, 2011

 

…a blast from our past…it’s Underdog

Most of our clients at McLellan Marketing Group could be classified as underdogs.  Call them challenger brands, the little guy or the rising star — but odds are, they have a Goliath or two in their path.

We love helping them topple the big guys and steal their thunder.  In fact, we believe that it’s a market ADVANTAGE not to be the biggest.  Yup…. being an underdog is a plus in our book.

Why?  In today’s world of constant change, it’s a lot easier to win the hearts and minds of buyers if you’re nimble, not bound by layers of corporate and committee decision making and you can wear your heart on your sleeve.  Market leaders don’t actually want to engage in a fight and they hate scrappy little guys who take them off their well prescribed path.  That’s how you beat them — you make them play your game.

Here’s the unspoken truth of underdog marketing.  You don’t have to actually destroy the industry leader — you just need to take a good sized piece of his pie.  In fact, you don’t, in most cases, want to be the leader.   Why wear the target on your back?  It’s more fun to be the challenger — the one who can break some rules, change the game… and create love affairs with your customers.

That’s why I was eager to read Stephen Denny’s book Killing Giants (click here to buy*)  Denny interviewed 70 “giant killers” and tells their story in his new book which outlines some powerful techniques for knocking the big guys down a peg or two.

The book presents 10 strategies that businesses can adopt to overcome a market leader. The strategies run from taking advantage of the speed and agility of being small to the willingness to take on some risks that the big boys can’t stomach.

He’s structured the book well — each chapter is divided into the strategy, the stories and the take aways.  My only “complaint” is that Denny’s underdogs are what many of us would consider to be giants in their own right — like Adobe or Hersey’s Krackel.  But it’s a good reminder that even large organizations like Hershey can be an underdog and have to think differently.  The techniques they used translate just fine to a local bank or CPA.  So don’t dismiss the book just because many of the examples are national brands you recognize.

I think you’ll find the book gets you fired up to go out there and take on a giant or two!

 

 

*Yup, it’s an affiliate link.  Also — Stephen sent me a copy of his book to review. You know me well enough to know I only review books I think you’ll find valuable. (I get several every day…so I am pretty choosey.)

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