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As a beginner, you would be forgiven for thinking that marketing is simply advertising your product or service, how wrong you are.

Marketing is the art of allowing people to know that your business exists. You could be selling brand new BMW’s at $1 each, but if nobody ever got to hear of your amazing deals then nobody could ever buy into the bargain. You would be left, scratching your head, thinking how do those dealers keep selling them?

You must get your message out by every method known to mankind. This can be by direct advertisement, by personal contact, by phone, by chat room, by ebook, by viral methods, by contests, by giveaways, by conference, by affiliation, by broadcast, by joint venture, by email, by by by, the list is endless. The subtleties of branding and image all play their vital roles.

Take this strange event for example, if I flew over Disney World one day in a small aircraft, like you do, then buzzed around for a while and wrote my name, Pete Lauder, in smoke, into the sky. Everyone that looked up would say Pete Lauder, who’s he?

Most would ignore the whole affair and carry on with the day out, but a small element would think, Pete Lauder, I’ll find out. On returning home they would most likely tap my name into Google and find one of my web pages, but there would be no mention of any event in Florida, in fact, as much as I love Florida, I live in the UK. They would then go on to read my site, trying to find out about this strange sky writing. As a result of visiting my sites, some readers would buy my product, some would subscribe to my newsletter, but they would all remember my name, perhaps only subconsciously, but remember me they would.

You don’t need to fly over Disney World, be clever and use the net.

Take ten years and propel yourself into the future, a major recession has hit the western world and everyone is suffering. The people that were once too cautious to venture into business, now see it for what it is, a means of survival. They want to maintain the lifestyle they once knew, and surely want to add to it, so they begin to look around the internet at some of the offers that bombard their inbox daily.

Very soon they will come across the words, by Pete Lauder. Our prospect will instantly, subconciously connect with the name, because they have seen it before, and as if by magic, our prospect will follow me down any path I am steering at the time.

Because I’ve been working away in the background for ten years with my marketing, I am still around, and my name is a respected authority on internet business, and quite rightly so. I am sitting pretty, but my business still needs prospects.

By doing what I do now, I can guarantee that there will never be a shortage of new and eager prospects knocking on my door for the rest of my life. Your mission is to get yourself known and accepted, by every means possible. I am an experienced copywriter, but prefer to illustrate my messages by highlighting a method and allowing the prospect to work it out, this is a very powerful marketing technique, and you should be using it.

Marketing is never advertising for the moment, as I write this, although it is a legitimate, informative, published article, it is still, a form of marketing.

Just for the record, do you remember my name?

Pete Lauder is an internet publisher and success coach with a wealth of practical business experience. You can learn all aspects of business and success, by creating systems that allow you to earn as you learn. http://homebizassistant.com

Tags: advertising your product or service, branding, Pete Lauder, respected authority on internet businessadvertising your product or service, branding, Pete Lauder, respected authority on internet business

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Is it possible to actually “own” a word in everyone’s mind? The short answer is
“Yes!”. (Or perhaps Yahoo!) You can own just about any word in any language, or
even create new ones, if you undstand the dynamics behind branding. Take for
example Amazon, Monster and Virgin. None of these names have any direct
correlation to the companies they represent, but they have become so well known,
that in some cases, they have surpassed the original meaning of the word. Google
has become so ubiquitous that it’s often used as a verb, as in “I googled to find the
best deal on a watch.”

So what does it take to “own” a word? It comes down to four key criteria, at least one
of which must be met, in order to pull off this feat. (And by “owning” I mean that
consumers think of your company or product as much as, or more than, the original
meaning of the word itself).

Rule 1: First in wins.

If you are the first in a category (or the perceived first in the category), you get to
name the category. If you invent it, create it, revise it, or re-position it — you get to
name it. And so you have Apple and Blackberry, as well Frisbee, Rollerblades and
Slinky. You also have completely invented names such as Xerox and Kodak. When
companies or products are new to market, they beg for mental “handles” to describe
them. So the first company or product in a new category, if they are aware of this
fact, can create a new name or invent a new noun, that can become the recognized
name for the entire category.

When people ask for a “Coke”, it often means whatever carbonated beverage is on
hand. Same for a “Kleenex” or making a “Xerox”. So first in gets the right to name
itself. That’s what happened when we named PODS. There was an opportunity to
create a new “handle” for a new product. One competitor went with the name “Door
to Door Storage” which does not work well as a noun. It’s much harder to order a
“Door to Door Storage unit” than a “POD”.

If you are first in your category you have a tremendous opportunity. Before grabbing
any name, see if it works as a noun and a verb. People “google” but they don’t
“overture”. It’s a subtle,but important, distinction. Some companies blow this
tremendous opportunity to define a new category by creating forgettable names.
The prototype name for the Blackberry was the descriptive and uninspired
“pocketLink”. Would you rather use a Blackberry or type on your pocketlink? As far
as branding, they made the right choice.

Rule 2: Viruses spread.

If your idea is innovative, imaginative, or free, consumers will memorize your name
no matter what you call it. The free music download sites are a good example.
Napster, Limewire and Kazaa are not necessarily the best names ever created. But
because they offered something for nothing, customers quickly sought out and
learned these names. In any other situation, Kazaa, with two “a”s, would be a
nightmare for an internet based company needng a good type-in name. But with the
lure of free music, customers willing shouldered the burden of learning the quirky
spelling and finding the site.

Another viral idea was the creation of WheresGeorge.com which tracks the former
locations of a dollar bill by its serial number. The novel idea has people logging on
by the tens of thousands to check where their money has traveled. The service is
free and the site generates advertising income from the immense traffic.

These free (or ingenious) products and services generate attention because of their
inherent benefits or novelty. So they succeed despite their naming not because of it.
If you have a product that’s revolutionary, viral or free, you may name it anything
you want. Otherwise it’s best to stick to good naming practices.

Rule :3 Size matters.

When 7-Eleven introduced the Slurpee, it could be argued that it didn’t fit their
naming architecture at all. It had no tie-in to the company name (such as
McDonald’s Big Mac). But when a company has thousands of stores that can
instantly expose a new name to millions of customers, it’s enough to permanently
tatoo any name on the cerebral cortex. So just because a huge company does
something, it doesn’t mean a start up can imitate the strategy. When starting out
small, it’s best to have a “naming architecture” that supports your primary brand or
company name. Pointing everything towards one name will help you “own” a word
faster than diversifying names across the board. Apple is beginning to acheive this
in their product line with the letter “i”, as in iPod, iTunes, iMac, iLife, etc.

Rule 4: Money. Money. Money.

Big budgets can imprint names. When GTE came out as Verizon, they put a .wav file
on their site so people could hear how the name was supposed to be pronounced.
(Was the emphasis on the first syllable like “Verify”? Or was it on the second syllable
like “Horizon”?) If you had never heard the name before, would you be able to
pronounce Cialis correctly? Or Wachovia? The point is that big money can make even
awkward names seem like household words. So again, before emulating big
companies, realize they have a big enough marketing hammer to drive lots of
square pegs through round holes.

A good example of a company combining rules three and four is UPS. By using their
their size and marketing might, they were arguably successful in owning the word
“brown”. Nexium has come close with their marketing of “the purple pill”.

So can you “own” a word? That would be a qualified “yes”… if you are first in
category, infectious (in a good way), a huge company with a big footprint or a
profitable company with a lot of cash. Smaller companies and start ups are better
off using strategies one and two. Otherwise, it’s best to stay with proven naming
methods that offer a hint into what you do. From our portfolio, these would be
names like…

Park Place (a garage renovation company)

SeaOfDiamonds.com (an internet based jeweler)

Spruce (facilities management company)

SupplyAmerica (tool sales and rental company)

TeamLogic (an IT franchise for small businesses)

These types of names offer positive connotations while providing a sense of the
industry to which they belong.

No matter if you are a small business, a hot new start up or a Fortune 500 company,
there’s a naming startegy that’s right for you. You may not need to “own” a word,
you may just need to communicate your message creatively and effectively. But if
you’re first in your category, have a brilliant idea, have a big presence or deep
pockets… then go for it! By owning a word, you can can grow into a “monster”!

Phillip Davis is a professional naming consultant with over twenty years experience in
branding. More of his work, branding tips and naming strategies can be found at
http://PureTungsten.com.

Tags: brand strategy, branding, naming, naming strategy, strategic branding, strategic positioningbrand strategy, branding, naming, naming strategy, strategic branding, strategic positioning

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A branding company’s website purpose is to design websites that will attract attention, give a professional image and support the message you are trying to convey in writing. There are arguments for doing your website design in-house. However website design, search engine optimization and copywriting is a very specialized area and utilizing a website design company can pay big dividends.

It is a cross between graphic design, programming, copywriting, brand building and direct marketing. It is difficult enough trying to find a website design company with these skills, let alone finding the talent in-house. If your website is going to become a major focus of your business, then it could possibly be worth considering hiring a full-time website design company with the necessary search engine optimization and copywriting skills. However, it is probably more cost effective to outsource the work to a website design company.

It is vitally important to hire professionals form a website design company - badly designed websites reflect badly on your business. Even if the design of the website looks presentable - unless it follows the rules of web marketing, image handling, copywriting, search engine optimization and the many other aspects of web development - it will not do its job properly. Which is why selecting a website design company is so important. Presenting your goods and services in the most appealing way that will generate a response from potential customers is a very specialized skill, something a web company should be very good at.

By hiring a professional website design company they are able to provide cutting edge website designs that uses advanced information architecture and custom designs. Online marketing begins with the initial concept and design of your website. This is far more than just reflecting your marketing strategy. The design of your website is an integral part of the marketing process. This is achieved by incorporating search engine optimization, direct response techniques, relationship marketing and consumer psychology into your website.

This results in a custom design that will entice visitors back again and again, build a community, develop brand loyalty and nurture a long term relationship that will turn a regular visitor into a valued customer.

Sometimes a website design company is only interested in making your website look good, you should expect higher goals. A good web firm designs websites that not only project a professional image but also serve a specific marketing purpose. This is achieved by combining cutting edge website design from a professional website design company and search engine optimization with advanced marketing and relationship building techniques.

As you can see - website design is far more than just creating a nice looking design, although that is still a vital element. There are so many components that have to fit together and the website has to do the job of directing visitors through the website so they get the information they need, take the action you want without becoming overwhelmed or lost.

Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru a leading Corporate Branding and Branding Research firm in Boston, MA.

Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation.

This Article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.

Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Franklin Sports and many others, including numerous emerging growth companies.

Tags: brand, brand identity, brand image, brand strategy, brand value, branding, web design, website designbrand, brand identity, brand image, brand strategy, brand value, branding, web design, website design

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