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Just because you’re an affiliate doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for branding. Well, you could take that approach – but it won’t help you build a flourishing business. Sure, you might make some sales and commissions – but you want profits to explode. [Read more…] about Branding Yourself as a Go to Authority Figure When You’re an Affiliate
Get noticed, get into the mind and build your brand with a visual difference.
Branding expert Laura Ries explains why a brand needs to be visually different to succeed.
Marketing expert Al Ries explains the importance of positioning and categories. People file brands on ladders in the mind. What rung is your brand on? If you are number three, you are nowhere. [Read more…] about Ladders in the Mind
Branding expert Laura Ries explains why a slow start may be better than a rocket takeoff of your brand. [Read more…] about Brand Building Takes Time
Saying something isn't enough.
Branding expert Al Ries explains the law of public relations: “Doing something is better than saying something.”
Branding expert Laura Ries explains how you can find your best strategy by doing the opposite of your main competitor. [Read more…] about Who's the Enemy?
How sticky is your slogan? Branding expert Al Ries explains how to make yours more memorable by using alliteration, double entendre, repetition, and reversals.
A simple strategy to get more clients choosing you and willing to pay you more than you're currently getting. A shift in your positioning is all that's required – and in this video Rich Schefren explains how to do exactly that by answering two simple straightforward questions.
Do you think your name doesn't matter? Think again.
There is a myth in marketing that says that names don't matter; what matters is the quality of the product.
In this video, branding expert Al Ries explains the four laws of the name and why your name really does matter.
Branding expert Laura Ries explains the importance of personal branding. If you are an actor or a toothpaste, the way to success is the same.
Confucius said: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Forget Confucius! Branding expert Laura Ries explains why a brand needs both visual and verbal elements to succeed.
Management demands better products. Marketing demands different products.
Branding expert Al Ries explains why it is more important for your brand to be different than better.
If your cash cow turns into a downer cow, do it a favor and put it out of its misery.
Branding expert Laura Ries explains why you should start a new brand and let the old one die.
Branding expert Al Ries explains why most consumers would never pass along most of today's silly slogans.
If you want to benefit from passalong advertising, you need to make your message in a form that the viewer or reader can pass along.
Branding expert Al Ries explains that a logo should fit your eyes — both eyes.
In many cases, the ideal logotype should be:
Branding expert Laura Ries explains how having a single brand name for a product is much more effective than having two.
Double branding can cause confusion and one brand only is likely to be the winner in the end.
Branding expert Al Ries explains that brands stand for categories.
What's a Chevrolet? It's a large, small, cheap, expensive, car or truck. The brand stands for absolutely nothing. [Read more…] about Category First –Brand Second
Many home business owners and solo entrepreneurs face a credibility challenge. When potential clients come to their website and see that it's “just them”, they often end up leaving. People often prefer working with a large company rather than a solo entrepreneur, because they see large companies as more credible and more likely to deliver.
Fortunately, you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in staff to make it seem like you're a large credible company. These tactics below can help you seem like you're a big company, even if you're flying solo.
Professional Call Answering Service
You can pay as little as $30 a month for a professional call answering service. The way it works is quite simple.
The number you list on your website actually goes to your call answering service. When someone calls that number, they hear a professional secretary answer the phone. For example, if you're a graphics designer, your “secretary” might answer:
“Thank you for calling Global Graphics, how may I direct your call?”
No matter what they say, the call gets routed to you. This creates the impression that you have a giant office and a large staff, when in reality you're working out of your home paying $30 a month to have someone answer your phones.
It makes a big impact.
Multiple Email Contacts
Don't have one email address be the catch-all address for everything in your site. Instead, use a different email for different things.
For example, on your contact page you can put:
For media inquiries, contact: jim@examplegraphics.com
For sales, contact: customer@examplegraphics.com
For reprints, contact: jennifer@examplegraphics.com
For all other inquiries, contact: info@examplegraphics.com
This creates the sense that you have a large team. Again, you can man all these email accounts yourself.
Website Design and Marketing Materials
There's a very specific way to design websites and marketing materials to give off a “big brand” feel.
Your designs should make good use of white space. Colors should complement one another. The logo should be clearly and prominently displayed. It should look clean, simple and authoritative.
Avoid designing your own website at all costs, especially if you're going for a big brand look.
The Story of James Caan
James Caan is the founder of Humana, currently #79 on the Fortune 500 list. Though today he's a millionaire many times over, the beginnings of his story are much more humble.
He started by renting out a broom closet in an office. He named his company Alexander Mann to sound like it was founded by someone big and successful. There was nobody named Alexander Mann.
He created multiple names for himself and almost a virtual “office.” As a one man team, he created the impression that he had a huge workforce with which to service clients.
Many of today's success stories started out like this. It's okay to be small, but in many industries it's important to look big. Use these techniques to help you create that brand image to help you move beyond the founding stages.
Marketing strategies and methods are very important in order to promote businesses. There are ultimately many marketing strategies that have been developed to improve businesses through proper advertisement and promotions. But among the common business marketing strategies, one of the most popular and recognized strategies is the marketing through branding. Branding is a marketing method involving the term, name, symbol logo, sign, design or combinations of these factors to improve popularity and provide identity to products and services, and to differentiate the products they sell from other products offered in the market.
Branding marketing method basically helps businesses and companies create good reputation and unique identity to make the product or service more noticeable and attractive compared to other same products in the market. But with the continuous development on this strategy, branding is now utilized not only to make your prospective market prefer your company and your products over your competitors but it should make your target market see your products and services as the one and only solution to their needs.
Effective branding strategy makes products and services standout in the tough market competitions as well as to make the products you are selling more attractive compared to its competitors. An excellent branding method is not just about logo and company design but it is also about using your company’s positive points and strengths to promote not only your specific products but also to raise your company’s reputation and credibility. This goal can be achieved through an effective branding strategy involving proper endorsement of products, making sure that you can produce quality products as your company have claimed in your advertisements and promotions and being consistent on your overall business ideas and values.
Branding, just like other business marketing tools and strategies, require thorough planning and proper execution in order to work well. In this tough and competitive market environment, relying on business instincts and obsolete marketing strategies will only make your business growth in diminishing rates. According to the Brand Mastery book published by Mr. Ken Chee, powerful branding strategy can greatly improve and transform businesses and companies with just a short period of time. The book also teaches vital information on how to build stronger brand name and identity, and how to establish stronger relationships with your loyal customers as well as your target market by instilling confidence and trust not only on your products but also on your business ideals and core values.
Read Brand Mastery: How To Build A Winning Brand And Be #1 in Your Niche! Product Endorsed By Jay Conrad Levinson.
Every business or company needs a trading name in order to operate in the market. But among the many small and big companies and businesses, only few have what they call ‘Brands’ or ‘Brand Name’. This is because some companies utilize various business marketing strategies to generate more customers by making their product more attractive to their target market. Compared to the conventional marketing strategies, branding technique is a marketing method that focuses not only in widening market audience but also to make the product and services different and stand out over market competitors.
Branding is a business marketing tool that is considered to be one of the most effective strategies in marketing and promoting businesses. Through branding, businesses get to promote not only their products and services but also the company credibility and reputation. With branding marketing strategy, your product will not only be recognized and stand out among competitors but it will also make your products and services the only option that would provide solution to your customers’ wants and needs.
With the great benefits provided by branding technique for businesses, many companies and business owners are now searching for information and knowledge about marketing through branding. To cater to the people’s demand, there are now many useful materials like books that were created to provide people the necessary information and knowledge needed to effectively promote and improve business sales. One of the popular tools or products offered online that provide business owners and marketers useful information on branding is the Brand Mastery eBook by Mr. Ken Chee. According to the book, powerful branding strategy can transform and improve businesses within a short span of time and will also ensure return of investment for the company.
By applying effective branding techniques, more customers will have greater confidence and trust on your products and services, therefore, encouraging them to continue patronizing your products and your company name. Satisfied customers are the best marketers since they tend to spread good comments and reviews about your company and the products you offer to their friends, families and acquaintances therefore increasing potential customers for your business. With effective branding, not only your customers will value your brand but also your employees. They will give important and value to your company and your products therefore ensuring better productivity and working environment for all. Strong brands also increase company and asset value which may also lead to more investors and shareholders for your company.
Read Brand Mastery: How To Build A Winning Brand And Be #1 in Your Niche! Product Endorsed By Jay Conrad Levinson.
A lot of businesses these days often fail to establish a solid reputation with their customers and so end up failing and losing sales that should’ve been theirs to begin with. Small companies tend to be swallowed by the competition because they fail to get a foot hold in the niche that they are doing business in. If you are an owner of a start-up company then perhaps it’s time that you should take a look at your organization and make the necessary improvements that can help you rake in the profits that you need.
Establishing an excellent brand name should be your priority in this world of fierce business competitions. Companies are scrambling to find the perfect equation to make their products known to their customers, and branding can definitely help you achieve this. The truth is that consumers will only purchase products from companies that they trust, and that trust is founded on a solid brand name that they can associate a product with. This is why big businesses spend a fortune in enhancing their corporate image to the public and create ways to actively promote their products to people all over the world.
Adopt a solid marketing strategy for your business which focuses on introducing your products and the company itself to your customers whether they have been with you for a long time or you’re still planning to win them over. There are a lot of experts that can certainly help you in making your company known to your target market, and we’re not just talking about optimizing your website content either. Long-term ad campaigns and excellent marketing techniques can be applied by these experts in order to establish your company as a force to be reckoned with in the business world.
Specific branding techniques are needed for each business, so you should therefore find the ones that will boost your company to the top and ahead of your competitors. Of course, the right mix of strategies are needed for your success, and this is where the services of an expert becomes handy. Branding is a complex business in itself, and it can certainly be the deciding factor whether you sink or swim.
Articles, blogs, and forums have all talked about branding and its role in the business community, and it may be best to read up on these various resources for you to have a better grasp of the importance of setting your company up with a name that prospective and loyal customers can equate with good business, trust, and reliability.
Read Brand Mastery: How To Build A Winning Brand And Be #1 in Your Niche! Product Endorsed By Jay Conrad Levinson.
Owning a business these days means that you have to be ready for some serious competition, especially if you want to bring your business over to the internet to gain more customers. You may have wondered how established companies all over the world came to the stage where they are now, and believe it or not the answer lies on how they branded their products. Branding is actually something that has been around for quite a while now, and a lot of companies rely on it to establish a solid customer base and gain loyal following.
If you have been doing business for some time you will know that having an established brand that customers can relate to is crucial to the success of your business. In fact, how people perceive your products through the image that you project with your brand will spell out your success or failure. You can just imagine how many companies vie for consumer attention in a given niche, and it is important that you get a strong foot hold in the market before your competitors do.
So what advantages can you get with an established brand? First and foremost is income and sales revenue. The more customers that are drawn to your products, the more sales that you will make which of course will result in more profits for your company. Second, can you just imagine how many people your loyal customers recommend your products to? Word of mouth recommendations is by far one of the best ways to gain customers, and you need to be able to have an established and reliable brand name that customers can associate with before you can even begin to tap that vast market.
You may have noticed how companies in the big leagues often come up with innovative ideas to market their products, and this is exactly what branding is all about. A solid marketing strategy that aims to instill your company’s name to your customers is needed for you to stay ahead of the competition. Once you are able to achieve this, you can watch how your small business turns into a company that has higher revenues than any other business in your niche.
Branding experts are always the best sources of advice and strategies when planning to launch a massive campaign to introduce your company to the market, and it would really be beneficial for you to hire the services of a branding expert who knows what he or she is doing. This will doubly ensure your company’s success and lock in the profits that you have just been dreaming about before.
Read Brand Mastery: How To Build A Winning Brand And Be #1 in Your Niche! Product Endorsed By Jay Conrad Levinson.
Most businesses nowadays close within one year. This is not because of a weak business plan. However, we also have to take into consideration the performance of others in the same industry. If your competition is doing great, then it means that you are sinking. The difference between a successful business and one that is about to close down is in the marketing of its brand.
Branding is a powerful marketing tool. Ken Chee’s Brand Mastery is a book that guides entrepreneurs on how to run their business. It is not about operations – it is about making your business stand out from the competition. These are mostly marketing principles that will make your business a trusted brand. Think about his example. If you think of coffee, most people will say “Starbucks”. If we think of fast food, most people will say “McDonald’s”. That is the power of branding. Whatever industry you are in, you want to be known as the best, most popular, most trusted and top of mind brand that customers will go to.
Why is branding important? The more value your brand has, the more customers you will have. These loyal customers will recommend your product to others, expanding your client base. The more trusted you are, the more people will pay to avail of your products and services. This will allow you to increase your product and still retain the customers that you currently have. A strong brand also means better business future, allowing you to attract more investors for your venture.
On the operational side of things, you will cut down on your human resources expenses because the more value your brand has, the more people will want to work with you. It is a known fact that employee retention is more cost-effective than changing employees. With loyal workers, you can cut down on operational costs. You will also cut down on supplier costs because these people want to be associated with strong brands. The more valuable and trusted your brand becomes, the more power you have to haggle on supply costs. You can also get more air time, better shelf spaces on markets and more positive reviews over different forms of media because of the respect that the public gives to trusted brands.
A strong brand is needed in order to build better relationships outside and inside your business. Brand Mastery will help you on your way to business success. You will be able to brush up on tried and tested strategies as well as new techniques on how to build your business and your brand. With Brand Mastery, you will be on your way to a successful business, strong brand and established reputation as an industry leader.
Read Brand Mastery: How To Build A Winning Brand And Be #1 in Your Niche! Product Endorsed By Jay Conrad Levinson.
Most small business owners will scoff at the mere mention of the word branding for their business. At a juncture in their business where every penny is being watched to ensure movement toward eventual profits, branding hasn't even entered the equation.
The real truth is that all businesses — big or small — have a brand within them. It's a matter of finding a way to bring it out to make your company stand apart from your competitors. [Read more…] about How a Small Business Can Create a Big Brand
Branding is an incredibly important concept in marketing. When you think of brands, you probably think of ones like Nike, Disney, Apple, and many others. The truth is that you'll have a brand as well. If you aren't building this brand, you need to do so.
One of the best ways to do this is to utilize your list. You can get the word out there about your company by having your list members share content with their friends, or even forward your e-mails to other people. The more people who come in contact with your content and your business, the wider your brand spreads.
Part of doing this is making sure you have a consistent image. People get comfortable with the image a certain brand projects. That means making use of your personality, the type of content you deliver, and many other aspects of your business. Having a personal philosophy can help you develop your own brand for your business.
The point is that you don't want to just focus on one-off sales with your list. You want to create a brand that people love, trust, and come to time and time again. You want to become so familiar in people's minds that you are what they think of when they think of your niche. Part of this is becoming an expert that people trust and turn to for advice.
This is thinking of the bigger picture. Everything you do is part of your business and should help to build your brand. The list is a huge part of that, so you want to come up with a game plan. Everything from your squeeze page, to your autoresponder copy, to your blog, to your content-based webpage should reflect your brand. By making these things work seamlessly together, your business will take off and be far more successful.
Branding isn't just for the largest companies! Even small startup companies and Internet marketers can build their brand online. Everything you do to build your list should reflect your brand and what you stand for. This will help increase your profits now and in the long run. Soon enough, word-of-mouth will spread and your income dreams will be reached far more easily.
Start building your brand today by making a list of things you can do that will affect your image. Making these decisions early on in the game will help you become far more successful.
Branding yourself correctly may be one of the best ways to get repeat traffic.
What Is Branding? [Read more…] about Branding for Targeted Web Traffic
Twitter profiles are a window into the life and business of each user. Without a proper and effective profile, jobs can be lost, money can be washed down the drain and clients can be swayed to another profile that provides more of what they are looking for. A Twitter profile is just like a marketing campaign for a company. A proper Twitter profile should effectively provide a snapshot of your brand.
Twitter is just another tool to implement your marketing strategy on the web. As such, the same branding rules apply to your Twitter profile. Your profile does not just include the wording on your Twitter account, but also the background on your Twitter page. There are applications you can use to develop free backgrounds for your Twitter account if you are on a budget, but in order to properly brand yourself, spend the extra money and develop a personal background the same way you would for a website. It will pay dividends in the end.
Here are a few tips to follow when creating your profile on Twitter to help develop your brand.
Be Consistent – Keep your message steady. If your business is about making the best athletic shoes on the market, make sure your Twitter profile falls right in line with it. As enticing as it might be to throw up a few pictures of you fishing with some friends, keep your message relevant.
Add Pictures – Many people want to see actual pictures of who they are talking to, not avatars or logos. As tempting as it might be to put your company logo up as your profile picture, save your logo for your background and put a picture of you on the profile. This will let people know they are talking to a real person and help your marketing efforts tremendously.
Frequently Update – When you have something new, make sure you update your profile. This lets people know your business is changing and growing. Your brand depends on it. Remember to keep it a consistent message, but also to keep it filled with fresh content.
Give Readily Available Contact Information – When branding yourself or your business on Twitter, one of the most important things is to make sure people know how to get in touch with you. Be sure to include applicable links to your website or any other methods of contact you might have such as email and phone. Specify how you prefer people reach you and list your business hours, if you use them.
Stick with Simplicity – While you only have 140 characters to develop your profile, treat it as though it were SEO copy. You only have a few seconds to get your brand across before the potential client becomes bored and goes elsewhere, so be brief and chose your words wisely.
Value Time – Take your time. Developing your brand on a new social media tool can be exciting and a lot of fun, but don’t let the excitement go to your head. Take your time and if you feel yourself getting frustrated, take a 5-minute break and go grab some coffee or a soda. If you take your time, you will be able to get out exactly what you want to say. You won't need to go back and change your message 10 minutes after you have published it because you left something out or didn’t get your point across.
Branding your business took time, possibly even months. Give your Twitter profile the same attention you did to the initial branding efforts and it will pay off. Follow these steps and you will have a good understanding of how to use your Twitter profile to brand your business properly and effectively.
Branding your name (or your pen name) is very important on the Internet, no matter what niche you’re in. You need to establish yourself as an authority in your market, because people trust authority figures.
They trust their recommendations, they trust that their products will be of good quality, and they trust that they have integrity. It also lends credence to the buyer that you’re a real person – not just some nameless, faceless entity trying to sell them something on a static, automated website.
You should put your name on everything you create. Whether it’s a membership site, an eBook, or something as small as a PLR article pack for sale – you should put your name on it. Getting your name out there is so essential to your ongoing success.
Think about all of the marketing gurus you’ve heard of. Some of them you may not have heard of yet, especially if you’re new, but chances are you’ve heard of at least a few of these. Have you heard of John Reese, Mike Filsaime, Frank Kern, Dan Kennedy, Joe Vitale, Willie Crawford, or the late Gary Halbert?
If you’ve been in marketing long at all you’ve surely heard of at least one of these people. People know and remember the names of these people because they put their names on everything they put out.
Their names are all over the marketing forums, their eCovers, their headers, and everything else they do. They work very hard to brand their names, because their names become the brands. People buy their products simply because their name is on it.
Buyers think that the product must be good, because the person is so well-known. You should do the same thing with your name. Always use the same name on everything you do within a particular niche.
You may not want to use your real name for whatever reason, but your name needs to be a “real name.” A nickname usually won’t cut it in most markets, but sometimes it works – like in the case of Travis “The Bum” Marketer or the “Rich Jerk.”
If you’ve signed up for forums under a nickname, ask the moderators if they can change your name to your real name or pen name. You might not want to tell the moderator’s it’s a pen name. That’s up to you.
Keep getting your name out there any way you can. Host teleseminars, JV with well-known people if possible, and offer to help create content for well-known people in your niche in exchange for a Bio Box that hosts your name and link to your website.
Offer to be an interview subject for someone. Be a “guest author” for popular websites and blogs in your niche, and create 100% original content for them. Never stop branding your name. Even when you’re as famous as Donald Trump, the king of name branding, don’t stop.
Donald still puts his name on everything he does. His name appears in huge, bold letters on his books. He names buildings after himself. Think of Trump Tower, Trump Taj Mahal, and Trump Plaza. His name is all over everything.
Not only is it a matter of pride, but it keeps his name everywhere. You may never be as famous as the Donald, or even as famous as John Reese, but you might become known as the king or queen of your own little niche or for a particular slant that grows in popularity.