A fundamental aspect of branding that many entrepreneurs miss is developing brand experiences that go beyond one or two senses. When you create a logo, ad, or package design, for example, a limited number of senses are piqued for consumers who come into contact with that logo, ad, or package. A logo is consumed by sight while an ad could be consumed by sight and sound. A … [Read more...]
3 Brand Marketing Strategies to Add to Your Instagram
Are you looking to market your business on Instagram? Depending on who you’re targeting and where your audience is, this free platform is a great inbound marketing strategy to add to your plan. Below you'll learn what brand marketing is, the Instagram stats you should know, and three important tips to uncover. What is Brand Marketing? Let’s start off the boat with the … [Read more...]
3 Critical Connections You’re Missing without Internal Branding
There is a very simple question that I use to explain why internal brand building is so important. Ready? Here it is: If your employees don't believe in your brand promise, why should consumers? It's actually a very simple and logical concept. Your employees are a powerful source of brand advocacy. Guess what happens if they don't believe in your brand? They say bad things … [Read more...]
How to Identify and Develop Your Brand Personality for Small Business Success
Sponsored by Visa Business: Is your brand fun or serious? Is it friendly or professional? If your brand were a person, what type of person would it be? What is your brand personality? Every brand has a personality that positions it in consumers’ minds in the marketplace. Over time, your brand personality could become so distinct and so well known that it becomes a … [Read more...]
5 Steps to Conduct a Brand Audit in Your Annual Business Wrap-Up
Sponsored by VISA Business: As the year draws to a close, it’s essential that you include a brand audit in your annual business wrap-up. Have the strategies and tactics you’ve implemented during the year effectively grown your brand? Has your brand veered off course in any way? Without the answers to these questions, you could be moving in the wrong direction in 2014. The … [Read more...]
The Art and Science of Emotional Branding
Emotional branding is powerful. When consumers emotionally connect with your brand, both loyalty and advocacy grow exponentially. Furthermore, emotional connections to a brand help that brand survive through any micro- or macro-environmental problem. When you can make consumers feel something about your brand, you've reached a level of marketing success that most brand … [Read more...]
Marketing to Women and Mothers with Stephanie Azzarone
The world of marketing to women and mothers has changed a lot since Stephanie Azzarone opened her communications company, Child's Play Communications, 25 years ago. During her recent appearance on my online radio talk show, The Social Marketing Hour with Susan Gunelius, she shared a wealth of information about how brands can grow successfully by connecting with women in the … [Read more...]
Building a Customer-Centric Brand with Social Media
Sponsored by VISA Business: I am blogging on behalf of Visa Business and received compensation for my time from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. Visit http://facebook.com/visasmallbiz to take a look at the reinvented Facebook Page: Well Sourced by Visa Business. The Page serves as a space where small business … [Read more...]
Brand Marketing Opportunities and Challenges for 2013
NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE: Are you ready to market your brand and get big results in 2013? Remember, brands can belong to companies or individuals. It's just as important to develop and promote your personal brand in order to reach your career goals as it is for a company to market its brands. 2013 will be a year filled with opportunities and challenges for brand … [Read more...]