Find your voice, grow your business.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you’ve got to admit Santa Claus is an excellent marketer. His brand recognition makes Oprah Winfrey look like a b-lister and his coffers are so full he makes Bill Gates look like a pauper. Santa generated over $400 BILLION in sales last year alone! How does the Big Man do it?
Santa may be magical, but his success is actually the result following these good branding rules… [Read more…]
Have you ever found yourself paging through one of those celebrity fashion magazines feeling a little cynical? That little green monster creeps in as you compare yourself to all those gorgeous ingenues. You comfort yourself by making excuses as to why they are there looking so beautiful and you are still living the life of a mere mortal woman. How hard is it to look beautiful when you’re wearing a glitzy dress or ball gown? After all, it’s one of the most flattering things a woman can wear. It’s all smoke and mirrors you think. Peel away the glitz and glamour and underneath it all they are probably not that special. Or at least you hope. [Read more…]
We live in a world where almost anything you want is one click away. You want to know the weather in Singapore, no problem. You want to see what your favorite celebrity did 5 minutes ago, check Twitter. You want to keep mosquitoes away, there's even an app for repelling bugs at your fingertips! However, if you want a strong brand, you are going to have to patient.
The cornerstones of branding are clarity, consistency and constancy. However, another vital component is persistence. Persistence is a little bit differnt than consistency or constancy. Persistence has a grittier quality. It implies tenacity, a stick-to-itiveness in the face of a adversity. Strong brands are built with persistent energy and attention, they are not like rockets that loose their intense power after their initial launch.
All of us face times in building our businesses, our brands, or our lists when it feels like we are Sisyphus. We put out or marketing messages, we Tweet, we blog, we speak and still it feels like nothing is happening. However, things are happening. It takes time and multiple exposures for your audience to get familiar with your brand. Think of the "overnight" success of stars like Leonardo DiCaprio who had to work his way through bit parts on shows from Romper Room to Growing Pains. He then had to beat out 400 other actors to win the role of Tobias This Boy's Life before going on to his blockbuster, Titanic. This took persistence. Now he is a KNOWN, reliable brand within his industry and to his public audience.
So be clear, be consistent and be constant, but also be persist, persist, persist. Each small success along the way will create ripple effects. You WILL grow your brand and your business. Remember the tortoise wins the race!
We often talk about the importance of first impressions. They are, of course, extremely important. Great thought and effort is put into how we present ourselves for the first time in any situation. Think about all those "firsts", a first date, a first job interview, meeting your child's teacher for the first time. We put a little extra effort preparing for the first time we are going to meet someone we want to impress. However, what about the second, third or even tenth time we have an encounter? Chances are you relax into something less formal which is natural. However, this can be a slippery slope when it comes to your brand.
Great branding is based in consistency. You certainly do want to make a spectacular first impression. In business a great first impression can open the door for you. What keeps that door open, however, is what happens next.
Anyone can look great and be charming once in a while, but it's how you behave and present yourself over the long haul that really matters. You may date someone who is cute and fun to be with, but you probably would not marry that person unless they showed over time they were also kind, committed, caring, and honest etc. You don't want to "date" your clients. You want to build long term relationships with them. They need to trust you. They need to see you value the relationship. You do this by continuing to put your best effort forward.
Can your clients count on you? Do you consistently respond in a timely matter to emails and phone calls, or do your clients have to pester you for answers? Do you continue to dress sharply when you meet with your clients to show you respect them, or you have let your guard down with your appearance? Do you find extra ways of showing your clients you value their business or do you figure they just "know" you appreciate them?
Remember your brand is held in the mind of your clients over time. If you want them to see you as marrying material you must continue to show them you care.
One complaint I often hear from my international friends is how homogenized the shopping experience can be in the United States. You can go from Boston to Miami and find the exact same stores and the exact same merchandise in those stores. True there are times when I long for a unique shopping experience, but I also find it comforting to know when I travel I can usually find whatever I need at a local Target store. Or if I get hungry, I know I can get the egg-white flat bread sandwich at any Dunkin' Donuts. You know what to expect when you think of those stores. It is consistent and reliable.
One of the wonderful benefits of watching a high-level artist is having the ability to get lost in the performance because you know they are going to deliver something great. You don't worry about whether or not they will hit the notes. These performers have earned our trust and as a result we continue to be fans and even evangelists on their behalf. We have confidence in them because they are consistently spectacular.
Of course, the same can be true for your personal brand, but first YOU must be consistent. Are you consistent in the way you express your brand? Are you consistent in the way you interact with your colleagues? Do you consistently say thank you? Are you consistent in your appearance or your online identity? When you are not consistent, your audience loses faith and loses interest. However, when you consistently express your brand with excellence, you create raving fans and consistent followers.