Why branding? What is the value of a brand? The simple answer is this: Brands help customers make choices. [Reference: What is a Brand?] Just look at it from the customer’s perspective. A customer is having some problems with her car and she doesn’t know what’s wrong with it. She begins her search for a…
Why do you use social media? Because it’s free, because everyone else is doing it? Because you feel that’s where the customers are? The most pertinent reason to engage in social media marketing for your business is to get more business. Image courtesy of IsaacMao Social media channels like Facebook are a marketing tool only…
Note: Next week is my premium webinar: How to Influence Customers to Buy. This blog post is a partial excerpt from that webinar. Context is critically important to the purchase decision process. Meaning people need to be able to compare things before they buy. Image courtesy of uuikibeach Customers don’t have an internal value meter…
Getting More Customers Without More Marketing How many almost customers do you have? People who would like to do business with you, but don’t. Some businesses do a great job creating interest and desire…without increasing sales. The problem is that interest and desire are just the first step. The second step, making it easy for…
Advertising involves spending money and the thought of advertising bristles with the fear of failure. Because the purpose of advertising is it go get more money into the business than you spend on the advertising. What if that doesn’t happen? So the question is: What’s the best way for you to advertise to get that…
This is a guest post by Christopher Wallace There’s nothing more disheartening than feeling like your hard work goes unnoticed. You show up on time, diligently accomplish your tasks, and believe in the quality of your work. So why doesn’t the boss ever say thank you? Photo courtesy of ralph and jenny If he’s smart,…
Nancy Customer sees this sign driving down a popular street in your town: Is she struck by this advertising pick-up line? Just what I was looking for, someone who wants to be my copier company! Most likely not. Even though Nancy may actually need a copier for her office. Think of it this way. An…
Every new customer goes through a decision process. And the first decision is “Where do I buy?” The answer to that question is determined by the strength of the brands in consideration. Whether or not you get a chance at the business is determined by the strength of your brand. It’s a competition between brands…
Unexpectedness and contrast make a brand memorable. They are the attention twins that make your business different. Unless your business offers something unexpected, or is contrasted from your competition, you are unlikely to be noticed by consumers. In fact, you are more likely to be ignored. Throughout your business, you should seize the opportunity to…
This week on The Marketing Spot features a series of articles on Brand Building to Build Your Business. Part 1: It’s Never Just a Marketing Issue Part 2: Define Your Brand Part 3: Creating Your Brand Vocabulary Part 4: Brand vs. Brand vs. Local Brand What’s in a brand’s name? Not nearly enough. Especially when…