At its most basic, branding is everything your audience knows about your business. It’s what they associate with you. This encompasses the entire business – everything from how you or your employees answer the phone, how you treat your customer, how you make your customer feel. It also includes how your customer will remember you through your logo and other elements of your visual brand.
We’ve traveled about 10,000 miles in 2015, exhibited at nine events, and met with 31 retail hobby store owners. It’s been an interesting year, to say the very least. We’ve had the opportunity to interact with manufacturers, retailers, and the consumers who purchase their products. Working all sides of this industry has given us a rather unique perspective into what’s working, what’s not, and why.
Here’s what we learned about event marketing in 2015. No matter what industry you’re in, you’re sure to find a few useful tidbits.
You are amazing, and you should enjoy the work you do to promote your independent vision and unique style. Be you, it’s the only way to make this journey in life and business worth the ride! [Read more…] about It May Be Time To Unsubscribe
Strategy is integral, but you need strong branding for any strategy to be effective.
From where we sit, we see companies growing and evolving to accommodate their new ideas and bigger visions. It’s exciting to watch businesses grow in defiance of what the news media hands out on silver platters. It makes dramatic story lines, and we should listen with compassion, but those stories don’t have to shape your reality.
I want to caution you, however, that growth and vision may require basic, often costly changes, that shouldn’t be ignored while you’re building. Even if your new idea is simply a better conception of a previous business, how you brand it will absolutely impact your ability to attract the customers you desire – and the ability to make the money you’re envisioning. [Read more…] about How Does Branding Impact Your Ability to Attract?
My husband, Randy, brings home piles of business cards every day. By the end of the week, his back pocket is one-inch thick and wearing a hole in his pants. I always tease him about collecting so many cards, but I rarely see him whip one out to share.
Even if he goes to dig through that wallet for a reference number or email address, chances are so many of those plain, white boring cards will be reduced to the pile on the dresser when he finally takes them out.
[Read more…] about A Business Card With Influence, Who Knew?
Just how hard (or easy) is it to turn luxury items or excellent services into cash? You know the adage, “it takes money to make money.” That’s not entirely untrue. But it’s not entirely true, either.
The key is to understand what makes the right audience buy, and then speak to that exact audience. The right marketing tools help you to do this well. While there’s a lot you can do yourself these days, you need a healthy understanding of customer attraction. After all, anyone can buy something. The question is, can appreciative, higher-spending clients and faithful distributors become interested in your stuff, and when they do – will your presentation convince them to call you or come to your store? [Read more…] about The Low-Down on Marketing ‘Up’
