Branding Brass Tacks Insider Tips

Don Tolep - Creative Business Strategist

I’ve always been the exploration type. What makes that thing work?

Why do customers desire that product over another?

This detective thinking has worked well for my clients and was the perfect fit for my career.

My passion is helping clients to enhance their company, and deliver better than expected results.

About the Author

SummaryAll across the world, when someone mentions branding examples, they highlight Nike or Apple.

That’s great when you have millions to spend on branding, but what about the rest of us?

In this document, I will provide info to get

you thinking about your brand and how to get

improved results.

So how powerful is creativity? The only thing that was able to end the Columbia 52 year civil war were creative campaigns focused around family love and Christmas. Today, Columbia is a totally different Country and one of the safest places to

visit.

The Typical Customer

Every day we see companies that skipped over the discovery stage and jumped directly into producing digital and traditional resources.

The challenges occur when there is no meaning behind the brand backstory, culture or brand system, leaving the end user lost and confused.

The hard facts! 8 out of 10 brands

Struggle with connecting to various audiences.

Have a difficult time telling their story.

Avoid risks and play it to safe.

Light tons of money on fire.

68% Percentage of consumers trust online reviews from strangers

more than a brand's marketing.

Crazy Stat!

SIs all this effort worth it?

There is no one size fits all recipe to developing a brand. It takes exploring who is the ideal customer, developing visual “hammers”, producing emotional content, designing unique imagery, doing massive research on direct and indirect competitors and much more.

The Truth

Seeking to engage your audience.

Improve your conversion rate.

Stay ahead of the competition.

Remain top of mind.

Insert real emotion, since people buy with their hearts.

So what is a brand?

A brand is a promise. It is equal parts look, personality, tone, customer service, consistency and much more.

Why do people think a brand is a logo?

There is constant confusion between marketing, advertising, public relations and branding. People are not only perplexed about these categories, but the differences between what is an interruption and

what is desired communication.

So what...

If you want to move the proverbial needle and get desired results, developing and maintaining a true connection with your customers and

prospects is the secret sauce.

So where to begin?

Well, that depends. Your starting point will vary on the goals set, desired results, competition within the space, years in business, existing customer base and how well known your product or service is in the marketplace.

Here are things everyone can do :1) Do a focus group with google asking for

feedback on your brand. https://surveys.withgoogle.com It is really affordable and you will get a ton of info.

2) Take a close look at your website. Is it easy to navigate, clear on your business model and offer value to the viewer.

3) Visit all your social media platforms and rather than counting worthless likes, examine the shares and customer interaction.

The Branding Recipe For Success

Get into the educational zone! Read, listen, ask, attend, interact, participate.

Get into the reality zone. Take what you have learned from the educational zone and put it into action.

Then go back and forth until you are content.

Customers and prospects desire….

- Variety - Surprise- Education- Demonstration of caring

So give it to them...

Be Helpful

Create a presence in social communities by helping people. Spend time

crafting genuinely helpful replies rather than just dropping links all on various

platforms. Building special relationships will move your business forward. It

is essential that you are helping people rather than focusing only on driving

traffic or making sales.

But those are just words

The key is to involve your audience in whatever communication resources you place in front of them. Ask yourself, am I inspiring my customers? What impact am I placing on them? Am I doing the opposite of my competitors or am I following the leader?

Top Ten Tips To Improve Resources: 1. When making a commercial, insert the brand name

within the first 10 seconds. 2. If the product is the hero of your ad, show it as close

up as possible. 3. In a 15 or 30 second commercial, make sure to grab

attention immediately. 4. Try and limit text on any powerpoint slide to a

minimum. 5. In a website, pay attention to the user experience. 6. Adding words over images will double memory

retention. 7. Don’t ask for the order, before you have given value. 8. If you logo is not clear in the size of a nickel, fix it. 9. Never use the same creative in different social media

platforms. 10. Remove clutter and keep it simple.

Can I afford an agency?

If you are in it for the long run, any dollars spent on clever, effective branding will reward you back exponentially. The Coca Cola brand is

worth over 75$ billion of their $175 billion organization.

Google agencies and review their portfolios. But get past the pretty pictures and see how they think.

ACTION

ITEMS!

Read articles from various experts such as David Ogilvy and Gary Vaynerchuk.

What are your competitors doing better than you? Make a list.

Call Don Tolep at 954-260-9010

Email Don Tolep at don@theogk.comand request a free brand audit.