www.cteves.com

Small businesses owners today are aware of the importance of carving an image in the minds of their prospective clients. They realize the effect of a catchy business name, a distinctive logo and the perfect slogan as well as the effective execution of their brand through appropriate marketing material and advertising.

For a small business to stand out in the minds of their prospective clients, it is not enough to just look the part, they have to be the part. Thanks to developments in technology and the propagation of information, prospects today are just as savvy as business owners. Put yourself in the shoes of your clients; would you rather go with a firm that looks the part and makes huge promises or one with a record of keeping their promises? Far greater than a good image is a good reputation, for an image is who you say you are but your reputation is who others say you are based on their encounter with you or that of another.

It is essential that your reputation lines up with your image; your reputation is mostly influenced by the customer experience you provide. Here are a few tips to help you build a solid reputation and reinforce your image:

Keep your promises. Don’t promise your clients the moon and the stars if you cannot deliver. Breaking a promise affects you integrity and the disappointment your client experiences may result in the severance of the relationship depending on the severity of the situation. Offer what you are capable of delivering.

Be original. Trying hard to fit in, or mimic the image of other more successful companies may be to your detriment; be you. As an example I chose the name The SoHo Cheerleader for my business because it represents what I want to accomplish, which is providing motivation and support to solopreneurs, it also represents my fun and witty streak. Like you, your business is unique so dare to be original. Ensure that your image truly represents you.

Provide excellent customer service. Create a positive customer experience for each client from the time they contact you right until the completion of their project.

Exceed their expectations. Every time you deliver service above what is required you are adding value and giving client cause to remember you.

Become an expert in your field by:

1. Staying on top of developments in your field.
2. Investing in training opportunities.
3. Writing articles and/or books.
4. Taking on speaking opportunities.
5. Educating your clients.

Focus on a niche. It is difficult to stand out when you lack focus. Stop being a Jack of all trades and get recognition amongst the group you have decided to target. You’ll gain popularity quicker and get more referrals.

Survey your clients. Find out how you can be of better service to them and what other business needs you might be able to meet within your specialty.

Research your competition. Learn from their mistakes and triumphs.

Begin with the end in mind. What do you want people to tell others about your company? Once you have made up your list, integrate it into your mission statement and look for opportunities to accomplish the things on your list with every single client that comes your way.

Bisi Adepo-Bassey (The SoHo Cheerleader) is a business coach and workshop/group facilitator, who helps sole proprietors achieve success by providing practical tips and advice as well as motivation and support. http://www.sohocheerleader.com/

Tags: branding, business, customer, customer service, entrepreneurship, marketing, service, Small businessbranding, business, customer, customer service, entrepreneurship, marketing, service, Small business

Share This

• Leave a comment... (0)

What’s Your Brand?

A brand is a product/company personality that helps distinguish it from the
competition. It evolves out of the product essence. So, what’s yours? Quality?
Service? Price? Whatever it is it’s something your marketing must reinforce across all
communication channels, from business card to TV spot. Even your office space.
You can’t brand yourself as a cutting-edge ad agency if your office looks like a law
firm. It also shouldn’t try to be all things to all people. “The best, cheapest, easiest,
most fun” is not a clear brand. Above all, your brand must be truthful.

What’s in a Name?

For a start-up or a new product, don’t underestimate the value of a good name.
Because once you decide, you don’t want to change it. A good name should be more
than something personal or catchy. It’s a key part of your brand identity that must
help define your business for a lifetime.

A name should trigger an emotion with your prospects. And not just any emotion,
but the right emotion. Huge companies like P&G know this and each year invest
millions on testing to attract consumers and build their brands. Knowing this, I’m
surprised how many smaller businesses treat naming so casually.

I was once asked about a name that a business owner was considering for his
natural gas company. The name sounded like something from the mind of a child.
After offering my tempered opinion I asked about the name’s genesis. “My 10-year
old kid came up with it. I kinda like it,” he replied proudly.

Similarly, a European entrepreneur asked me about his product’s name: “MiaManna”.
Any guesses what it is? Something Italian or Spanish perhaps? A bread, maybe?
MiaManna is a dried-fruit snack, from Germany. It’s actually a terrific, healthy
product that deserves a great name. When I suggested he rethink the name, at least
for the US market, it was as if I’d insulted his wife. I haven’t heard from him since.

One of the catchier names I’ve seen is “Guzzle”. Cool name, right? Well, that would
depend on what you’re guzzling. Instead of a sports drink, a juice, or beer, Guzzle is
ketchup. That’s right,ketchup. Clearly, the owner thinks his ketchup is good enough
to guzzle.

If it’s not obvious, the problem is that it’s difficult for business owners to be
objective, even for something as seemingly simple as naming their own product. No
doubt most day-to-day management decisions aren’t fun, so it’s not surprising why
they get jazzed at the chance to be creative. Unfortunately, you see what can
happen. So, if you’re a business owner and you really need to name something,
name your kid, your dog and your yacht. But when it comes to your business, get
the help of an expert.

Follis Fact #1
Anyone crazy enough to be running a businessshould seek professional help.

Knowing your business or product doesn’t mean knowing how to market it. As just
described, it’s disturbing how otherwise savvy business owners can sabotage their
marketing effort. Successful owners realize they’re not marketing experts. The
problem is, they often aren’t sure who is. Often because they have an existing
relationship with a design firm or PR agency, it’s easy to assume (or be convinced)
that those same folks can handle advertising and marketing. I’ve seen it happen too
often. If your business needs legal help, hire a lawyer. If it needs financial help, hire
an accountant. If it needs office cleaning, hire a cleaning service. So, when it needs
marketing help, do yourself a favor and hire some.

Taglines

“Just do it.” “We try harder.” “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” “Be all that you can be.”
Taglines are one of the best ways of branding a product, service, company, or
organization for years. Like these:

Please don’t squeeze the Charmin. (since 1964)

A diamond is forever. (since 1948)

All the news that’s fit to print. (since 1896)

Another classic case is Avis. When Avis (the # 2 car rental behind Hertz)
incorporated the tagline, “We try harder”, they not only turned being #2 into a
positive, they also gave their company a likeable, underdog personality. To support
that company personality, every ad that Avis created evolved from that simple,
brilliant, three-word tag about better service. Now, over fifty years later, Avis still
uses it. Another example is, “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” Being “in good
hands” conveys a caring, protective personality. Another example is “Think different”
for Apple Computer. The line gives Apple the personality of being innovative and
above the rest.

So, what else makes a good tagline? A general rule is: The shorter the better.
However, if you blindly follow that logic you’ll be asking for trouble. You don’t want
to compromise a great line for brevity. And shorter doesn’t always mean more
memorable. One of the most famous taglines of all time is 10 words:

With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.

So, as much as you may try to break creativity down to a formula, you really can’t. A
great tagline involves the perfect mix of right-brain creativity and left-brain
strategic thinking. Both are critical. After all, it doesn’t matter how clever it is if it’s
the wrong message, and it won’t matter how strategically smart it is if it’s dull.

Like a name, a tagline is something you’ll want to live with forever. So, if you decide
on getting a tagline, be sure it’s great. Because just as a tagline can help your
business, a bad one can do the opposite.

(For more Follis branding facts, see booklet info below.)

© 2005 John Follis. All rights reserved.

John Follis is one of the 12 “Best Advertising Minds of New York” as voted by The
New York Ad Club. His campaigns are in 3 college textbooks, he has written for
ADWEEK, and he has taught at 3 New York universities. Currently, John works on
select projects, consults, and speaks. He may be reached at
john@follisinc.com

For John’s booklet: How to Attract and Excite Your Prospects: A Guide for Getting
the Best Marketing Results, visit: http://www.follisinc.com/booklet.htm

For
consulting info, visit: Marketing Therapy: http://www.follisinc.com/therapy.htm

For speaking info, visit: Follis
Speaking: http://www.follisinc.com/speaking.htm

Tags: advertising, branding, business, entrepreneurship, marketing, promotion. sales, Small businessadvertising, branding, business, entrepreneurship, marketing, promotion. sales, Small business

Share This

• Leave a comment... (0)