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About a year ago I saw this seemingly interesting film in Redbox on a solo Friday night and since I had no big plans thought why not. It listed a host of stars including Demi Moore, David Duchovny and Lauren Hutton so I thought it looked promising. After the first 20 minutes of it I quickly caught on to the main theme/plot and thought how brilliant a concept for a movie & in business! It’s about what appears to be a classic, wealthy suburban family who seems to have it all. But as the story unravels, you come to understand that “the family” is commissioned ($$$) by an international marketing company, which I’m sure is a conglomerate of several, to introduce their products into the right market niche via unconventional & REALLY smart methods. (Yes, you should totally rent it. Check out the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=achUBX71Fj0 ).
So since I’m not a movie critic (at least professionally that is…) you might be wondering why the heck I’m blogging about this. It’s because the clever concept they employ is all about having confidence when talking about the brands they are selling and consistency of their sales tactics. And that my friend is what easily translates I gotta have it now to big sales for the product or service. HOW A BRAND IS REPRESENTED TRULY AFFECTS THE SUCCESS OF WHAT’S BEING SOLD! Representation of your brand, via your website or print marketing materials, is paramount to supremacy as opposed to mediocrity in your market industry.
Do you have the vision, tenacity and marketing savvy to leverage your brand to all its potential and watch your sales and profit 
margins soar? I’m sure the answer to the latter part of that question is yes but you may not be sure about how to employ the leverage part. I’m no expert but I do give some noteworthy morsels in my last blog titled http://blog.jpdesigntheory.com/branding-to-dos-tidbits/ . So take a few maneuvers from my playbook and let me know how implementing just a few works for you, your potential or current clientele, and I look forward to hearing back on the blogs. Until then…decide if you’ll be Jonesin’ on your competition or if they’ll be Jonesin’ on you.
All Posts, Content & Copywriting
So here’s my worldwide web, no time to be camera-shy debut. I hope there are some tidbits that can enlighten & offer clarity of key points to consider from a content writer’s perspective. These include blogging, web design and branding across all forums of marketing for your business, big or small. So get some Kettle Corn (love that stuff!), get comfy and enjoy the show.
Why Website Content Is Important [Video Interview] from designtheory on Vimeo.
Interview by Jean Perpillant of Yvonne Barber, both members of Design Theory.
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For those outside the marketing realm, let me help define “branding”. Branding is a signature ‘look and feel’ that leverages all of the resources our industry has to offer to make sure that you will be noticed and recognized by consumers and like industry companies.
- Branding is an essential component to any business therefore it’s something you should consistently think about and ensure it evolves on an ongoing basis. Taking time to think about and employ opportunities to promote your brand is both fundamental and key to its success.
- Your brand and marketing materials should precisely detail & sell your product and/or service. If they’re not, they’re wrong. You know the old adage of “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it”…well if it is, it’s time to re-think and re-brand.
- C’mon, get focused! Your view of your product/service can sometimes be narrow and if it’s your “baby”, it can be hard to be a tough critic. So if you can’t afford to pay for a professional focus group, here is a suggestion. Get together a group of professional friends from various industries and present your products/service. Offering hors d’oeuvres and beverages is a nice form of compensation. What’s most important though is getting their feedback in writing and implementing their suggestions (if they are good ideas…) into your brand/marketing strategies and promotions.
- Know your street credibility ~ Your brand image as well as its reputation is vital. It’s super important you know what your client base is saying about you…and even your competition. Being armed with this information will allow you to evolve your branding & marketing strategies to thwart the effects of the good or bad press.
- Promote your brand across all landscapes. This should include at a minimum:
∞ direct marketing via mailers;
∞ email campaigns and promotions;
∞ online & in-store promotions; and last but surely not least…
∞ social media, etc.
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In high school we all wanted to be liked…to be accepted by a group of people as part of their “in-crowd”. You remember…the cool kids who seemed to rule the hallways while others salivated at the double-dutch opportunity to laugh at one of their jokes or be thrown just a nod of acknowledgement. As adults in the business world (most of us anyway unless you are a 20 year-old Zuckerberg wiz kid), we aren’t all that different. We enjoy rubbing elbows with the “movers & shakers” in an effort to acquire business connections that will hopefully profit us in relationship and in contribution to our wallets.
It’s in these efforts that we come to understand and implement strategies to be liked, which easily translates into the business marketing forum to obtain business relationships…profitable ones hopefully. In the world of Social Media, especially on Facebook, we come to understand on a more global level, the Power of Like. If you are not on Facebook-well golly gee willacurs you should be. Why?
#1- it’s free. In a world where next to nothing is this is 100% gratis!
#2 – much like blogging and having a business website; it gives you UNLIMITED, GLOBAL access to people and other businesses. Many people/businesses are now searching Facebook for products/services in lieu of traditional worldwide web searches.
#3 – many businesses on Facebook are already “Liked” (or unfortunately Disliked) and have reviews/comments on their pages which makes their business report card accessible in a glance.
#4 – again, it’s free. No marketing budget needed.
Do you really need more persuasion? If so, here’s an elementary concept taught outside high school hallways in the game of real business life…
In the world of Social Media…Like=Relationships & Revenues
And thanks to Mark Z-that’s the Power of Like
All Posts, Marketing
When you think of some famous blogs that you frequent during the day, I’m sure many names come to mind. Some of those blog authors have followers and readers in the thousands if not more. We all follow them, waiting to hear some tidbit about the next big thing, or some advice on how to do something you already heard elsewhere. They’ve been around for some time and so we trust their judgements and opinions. All of that is fine and dandy, but what about some peers you may have met recently at a local networking or social event? I’d like to challenge you to read on to see a different perspective on this topic.
With all the mediums for sharing content and social media, I’m sure you have many connections to people you’ve met or network with. In person these people can tell you a great deal about their products, services, insights, and tactics to what they do best. Of course not too much data, but still some really informative stuff. Check to see which of them has a blog or some type of frequent distribution of content. Read a few posts and see if what they’re talking about makes sense. See if it sound relevant to your current business needs or hold some great tib-bits you can use in the future. If you’re not already signed up, I suggest you do so now.
Why Your Comments Are Important: With the various types of publications, there are also many ways for a reader to comment on his or her thoughts. This is a great option because it allows for a conversation. This gives you a voice to either compliment or challenge the content given. Nothing stirs up multiple reply comments on blogs more than when different people have different views on a topic and continue to weigh in to try and prove their points.
Share and Promote: If you found the post thought-provoking, share it with your peers and associates. This is where social media is at its best. Use the Tweet or Facebook buttons to share the post. Coming from you, it will seem like a good and relevant read to your associates. Get them to weigh in or validate the discussion. Think of it as community building. We all know word of mouth is the best form of advertising, so the same benefits apply here.
How Much Time It Really Takes: You may think it’s a painstaking process of hours when really it isn’t. You’ll be able to tell within the first paragraph whether or not the rest of a piece will be worth your read. Once read, take 5 minutes to write a comment. It can be a short as a few words to a paragraph if you feel led to write more. Most blog sites have their comments section ready to go without the need for you to sign up with some service before you’re able to post. Sharing on the internet is takes about 30 seconds with the help of pre-installed social media buttons.
What’s In It For You: Think of the “Golden Rule” here. If you’re already blogging for your business, wouldn’t it be great to hear from people within your community whenever you publish a post? I’m not going to set a false expectation that for every comment you place, or post you share you’ll in turn receive the same for your own. However it does make for good recognition when you are at networking events where these other bloggers are attending also. It’s a great ice-breaker for striking up a conversation. Aside from being a part of the conversation and that warm fuzzy feeling, you have a few things to look forward to. You’ll also get a track-back to your own website or blog if you entered it into the fields when submitting your comment.
No time like the present, so start now by commenting below. Our blog even has this cool feature where it will mention your latest blog post if you check the “Comment Luv” box. And of course if you have something of value to add to the conversation, we’d love to hear it!
