Articles The Perfect Branding Tool

Posted on October 15th, 2008 in Branding by admin

If you own a web-based business, you’re probably aware of the need for things like link exchanges, lead-purchasing, SEO copy, banner ads and all of the “traditional” ways to get exposure on the World Wide Web.

But did you know that article marketing is by far the best way to build your brand while at the same time increasing your exposure?

Web articles. They’re hot. Why? Because people have realized that when you submit an article for distribution on the web, you’re dangling your URL in front of an endless stream of prospects, all of whom are already interested in what you have to offer. Why is this? It’s due to the categorical nature of web article marketing itself.

Article distribution sites are arranged by category. So, if you write an article about sea rays, your article is going to get picked up and placed on other websites that are related to aquatic life. It’s highly likely that the people who visit that site will be interested in your subjectmatter and want to read what you have to say. So the potential interest is there even before your article hits the page.

When you write web articles, you soft-sell your brand to your potential customer by giving away something they need before they even know your name. How so? Within the body of your article, you’re including a chunk of valuable information for your reader to absorb, learn from and remember you by!

Let’s say you’re a “marketing mom” who wants to sell mail-order hand-painted gifts on the web. How will you go about branding your name? First, isolate your key customer. That would be MOM. Where does she live and reign on the web? In bazillions of online mommy groups and forums! So start writing articles about gifts that speak to your number one prospect, Mom. If you’re a mom too, you’ll likely have lots in common, so get those articles going and start talking Mom to Mom. In your articles, offer your prospect a few ideas she can use in her business and her life, then gently introduce her to your hand-painted gifts. Roll out article after article, and submit to every place you can find on the web that might be a hot spot for the work-at-home web mommy.

Your full-out article marketing campaign will take careful strategizing, time and effort, but the end result, brand recognizability, is worth the extra energy you put in. Right now, there’s no better way to build your brand on the web and do it quickly. Saturate your market with articles that position you as an expert in your field, and the leads will follow. Soon you’ll be pulling in orders for your hand-painted collectibles faster than the little Korean ladies you hired can paint them!

Branding is establishing trust and faith in your company name. Branding cements relationships. Branding keeps your customers coming back year after year! What better way to let your future clients get a better idea of who you are and what you can do for them, than talking to them in well-written articles that help to brand your good name?

If you haven’t already, start thinking about an article marketing campaign. Target your key customer, and then lay the foundation for your brand… one article at a time.

Copyright 2005. Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

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Branding Bring Back the Jingle!

Posted on September 11th, 2008 in Branding by admin

Did you grow up in the ’70s and ’80s? If so, you probably have a slew of campy jingles from various TV commercials filed away in your brain. Today, advertisers still use jingles to help identify their brand, but not nearly as much as they did “back in the day.” Why is this?

Part of it is probably that in the digital age, there are so many more options. Companies spend money on electronic campaigns rather than television, because they know there’s a planet full of non-TV watching prospects that can be reached via the internet. Digital equipment makes video production super fast and easy, which means that if you’ve got an idea for something outlandish and wild that possibly involves a celebrity or special effects, it can be done fairly quickly. Musicians and celebrities are willing to sell the rights to their music or their image, to advertisers who want people to equate their brand with a popular song or celebrity icon. Many advertisers opt to make commercials that attract attention for bizarreness or shock value.

Even so: is a commercial that’s loaded with larger-than-life graphics, chilling special effects and famous celebrities going to make people remember your product? Is a commercial that’s off-beat and “artsy” a good choice as a brand builder? These days, there’s an awful lot of information to take in. Your commercial might be cutting-edge creative, but what does that matter if people are only half-paying attention anyway?

We retain information by developing associations. In recalling people and events, your brain links one idea to another and then connects the two. Music does this especially well. Is there a song that reminds you of your first love? Is there a “soundtrack” to your life that conjures up a steady stream of memories? Most people would answer yes. Which would explain why kitschy little songs from ’70s and ’80s television did such a nice job of burning all of those brands into our minds and keeping them there to this very day.

I used to write ad copy for Toys”R”Us. I remember when they decided to bring back their classic song, of course you know what it is! “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toy”R”Us kid…” It was the perfect time to do this. The original Toys”R”Us kids were all grown up with new Toys”R”Us kids of their own… but the memory was still there, ready to be brought back to life. So the second time around, Toys”R”Us funked up their famous old jingle, hired a band to play the “rock ‘n roll rendition…” unveiled a “whistling only” version of the tune… and did it bring back the Toys”R”Us kid in all of us? You bet it did!

Even if some of them were annoying, the campy jingle lives on in our memories! Can you identify the tune that goes with each of these famous lines?

“Starburst fruit chews… a burst of refreshing fruit flavor for you…”

“A double pleasure’s waiting for you…”

“G.E…. we bring good things to life!”

“It’s a good time for the great taste of McDonalds!”

“Whatever it is I think I see… becomes a Tootsie Roll to me!”

“There’s a fragrance that’s here to stay, and they call it… Charlie…”

“Now, you see it. Now, you don’t! Here, you have it. Here you won’t…”

“You can roll a Rolo, to your friend… it’s chocolate covered caramel from end to end!”

As we progress further into the digital age, we must realize that sometimes a simple message is often the most effective one. That’s especially true for branding.

If you’re about to embark on a grand-scale advertising plan, consider hiring someone to write a short, catchy jingle that you can use in your television, radio, and even internet advertising. Make it a tune that’s sure to stick in the consumer’s mind. Just like the classic commercials you know and love, you’ll be remembered for generations to come.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

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Branding What Not to Do

Posted on September 1st, 2008 in Branding by admin

Here’s a little story about what not to do as you carve out a name for yourself in the world of internet business.

Don’t use a miscellaneous email account as your primary web contact address.

Some silly copywriter did this when she thought she was going to start working “freelance corporate” for staffing agencies.

This copywriter chose the name “seniorcopywriter” for her contact email because, in the corporate world, copywriters come in three sizes: Junior, Regular (actually referred to as just “Copywriter”), and Senior. (It’s sort of like the sizes of Starbucks coffee cups, but not.)

Since she had left her last corporate job wielding the lofty title of Senior Copywriter, I guess she thought that would be a fairly direct way of advertising her capabilities.

What she did not realize was that she was about to embark on a wild internet mega-marketing adventure, and that corporate had seen the last of her and her copywriting seniority.

So, now when people go to her website, they see the email contact address as “Seniorcopywriter” and probably wonder what kind of self-titling weirdo she is.

And when they come across her email address in some unexpected place, they make no connection between it and her website, which is called Wordfeeder.com.

If you haven’t caught my drift yet, I’m using this story to illustrate the point that highly effective branding is planned and purposeful. All of the elements of your business should “match.” Your website, company name, logo, tagline, email address, and basically everything you create thereafter, should be aimed directly at your target audience. Everthing should coordinate perfectly– like Jackie O’s wardrobe.

Someday, this copywriter who shall remain nameless, will get around to changing her email address to something more appropriate. But since it’s seemed to bring her good luck, for now she superstitiously keeps it as is.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Liked this article? Have more of the same emailed to your inbox each month. Sign up for the Copywriting and Marketing Ezine from Dina at Wordfeeder.com and learn to write search engine friendly web copy and market your web based business for free.

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