Successful Blog

7 Ways to Quickly and Efficiently Re-Brand Your Small Business

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By Nathan Sykes

You may be thinking about a re-brand for your business for many reasons, but the most common one is because you’ve hit a rut. No matter why your company isn’t growing, updating your image, changing your audience or selling new products could all be excellent solutions.

However, changing your business around won’t happen overnight. Some ways to go about rebranding are quicker than others, but keep in mind that this isn’t an instant process. Nonetheless, be sure your new brand is right for your business before investing time and money.

Here are seven of the quickest, most efficient ways to make sure the public knows you’re going in a new direction with your business.

1. Get a New Look

The first step in making your business different is to redo your look. Even if you don’t plan on renaming the company, make sure you invest in a professional artist to create a new logo. Try to get your logo to look as modern as possible — unless you’re marketing to a more traditional audience.

With a new logo comes new promotional material. You’ll need to remake all your pamphlets, billboards, uniform shirts and storefront signs, to name a few. The most important change is going to be your business cards. Update cards with your new logo as soon as possible. Often, a business card is your first contact with new customers and clients. You’ll also need to update your website to match your new brand.

If your brand is changing because of shifting audiences, be sure to look into new avenues for advertising. Try taking out ads on popular websites like Facebook or Reddit that can reach your audience.

2. Remodel Everything

If you want or need an entirely new look, remodeling your brick and mortar stores is an excellent place to start. While not exactly instant, remodeling your stores will be the quickest way to tell the public you’re taking a new approach. One of the easier ways to remodel is to redo the wall panels and siding of your business. Changing the siding isn’t as drastic as tearing down walls, and the new look will speak volumes.

During the age of technology, you may have a lot of customers who never walk into your store. That’s why remodeling your website is just as important as the building. Make sure to streamline and update your site as much as possible. Don’t add programs that will make your site complicated or slower. Hire a professional to do the job for you, or remember to use minimalism to your advantage.

3. Launch New Products or Services

Even if you’re not rebranding because of a new service or product line, introducing at least one new product or service as you’re rebranding will help. Having a new offering shows the public you’re changing along with your look. Bringing in a new product or service may also prevent you from having to rebrand completely.

The new product or service you launch will depend on your business, but keep in mind that this is partially an advertising campaign — new offerings will bring in new customers.

4. Join Social Media

Changing your tone and image on social media is one of the first changes you should make, as customers worldwide will have access to the new you. More importantly, social media allows you to interact with your audience and promote advertising. You can get involved with current topics and trends, address customer concerns immediately and show off your new brand message.

If you already use social media for your business, customizing your profiles to fit your new image is easy on most sites. Vowing to get more involved on Facebook and Twitter is one of the best choices you could make when rebranding.

5. Network All Over Again

If you thought your business graduated from the world of networking, think again. When you rebrand, you’re redoing everything about your business. You’ll have to reinvent your image from the ground up, which includes the basics of networking.

Touch up your LinkedIn profile and attend more networking conferences. Keep in mind this is for your business, not a personal rebrand — you’re trying to build connections all over again. This directive is a lot less important for companies in retail than for a client-centric or contract-based business, but networking may be something to look into if you want your business to move up no matter your industry.

6. Invest in Photography

Finding a good photographer might sound like a strange part of rebranding, but it’s crucial. If you haven’t shown off your employees and staff before now, this is the best opportunity to do so. Customers love seeing small businesses honoring their employees. Bringing everyone to a professional studio and spending a little money can go a long way with making the human connection with consumers.

If you already have photographs of everyone, updating them during rebranding is a must. Don’t bother taking the pictures yourself with a smartphone or even a decent camera — you want your business to look professional. If all goes well, your new photos won’t be outdated for several years to come.

7. Donate Locally

This might sound like another odd piece of advice, but donating to local charities is a fantastic way to get your name out there and shed a favorable light on your company. Ethics matter to customers who research businesses — if you haven’t participated in local charities or fundraisers before, consider doing so as you rebrand.

On the off-chance that there’s nothing local to participate in, consider starting an annual fundraiser. Hosting food or toy drives during the holidays can go a long way with making a good name for your business — not to mention, you’ll be helping your community.

The Finishing Touches

Rebranding a business is not cheap or easy. You can complete some steps more immediately than others, such as joining Twitter or getting a new web domain. Other measures, like remodeling your office and networking, will take patience. If you want an effective rebranding of your business, these are some of the best places to start.

No matter your rebranding goals, the most critical step is to remember why you’re changing in the first place. Keep your mission in mind, and the rest will fall into place.

About the Author: Nathan Sykes writes about the latest in business and technology from Pittsburgh, PA. To read his latest articles, check out his blog, Finding an Outlet.

 

Photo by Lonely Planet on Unsplash

3 Keys to Marketing Your Brand Without Mistakes

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No matter what your brand may be, it is crucial that you do your best in marketing it to the public.

It is important to remember that your competition is more than likely doing all it can to get the upper leg on you. As a result, you may very well have to pull out all the stops to get ahead and ultimately stay in top.

That said are you driving ahead with all the right keys in making sure your marketing game is second-to-none?

Be Driven to Promote Your Products

In doing your best to promote your products, what marketing methods are you using? More importantly, are you using any and all of them without major mistakes in the process?

Among the keys to marketing your brand without mistakes:

  1. Staying on message – To start, what message do you want to get across to consumers? As an example, if you are a vehicle manufacturer or you sell cars and trucks, how much of an emphasis do you place on vehicle safety? Without safe vehicles to fill the roads, most consumers would have to rely on public transportation and other means to get around in their daily lives. Your message to consumers in marketing your vehicles should be that safety never takes a back seat. If promoting backup camera systems in the vehicles you make or sell, show consumers how this technology can lessen the chances for accidents and even save lives. The backup camera will alert drivers when someone or something is moving behind their vehicle as they get set to go in reverse. With the message of safety in your marketing, you will get the attention of countless consumers.
  2. Listening to consumers – One of the biggest marketing mistakes a company can make is not hearing what consumers are saying. Whether it is a current or potential customer, keep your ears open. Many consumers get frustrated with companies when it comes to customer service. If the former feel as if the latter is not properly listening, there’s a good chance they will go elsewhere. That means spending their dollars with someone else. So that you lessen the odds of losing potential business, be a good listener. Whether it is a problem with a product or a consumer is not pleased with the service you provided them, be attentive.
  3. Socializing the experience – Last but not least, it is imperative that you have your eyes and ears tuned in with social media. Given there are millions of consumers on social networking sites at any given time, you certainly do not want to miss out on the possibilities of connecting with them. This means you need to have active participation on venues like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. Along with promoting your products and services on these sites, run links to relevant information about your industry. The more informative you are to the public, the better the odds more consumers will come your way. Also, be sure to interact when needed with consumers. One of the great things with social media is that you and your team can talk to consumers 24/7/365.

In doing your best to steer clear of marketing mistakes, make sure you are driven to connect with consumers on a regular basis.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.

 

 

Real Influencers Don’t Call Themselves Influencers

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In this brave new world where every marketer is turning over rocks trying to find “influencers,” there’s an easy way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

If someone promotes himself/herself as an “influencer,” they probably won’t be able to do you any good.

You should really be looking for a smart person who happens to have influence (or perhaps “Whuffie” according to Tara Hunt).

Self-described “influencers” used to go by other names…guru, ninja, rockstar, thought leader…it probably dates all the way back to when Caveman Urp tried to tell Caveman Ack how many tribe members were using his new square wheel.

So how do you identify a person with influence, as opposed to an “influencer?”

Here’s my checklist, to help you get started:

  • Acknowledged credibility within a certain subject area – Look for some type of external endorsement that the person is an expert (if you want to know about middle school fashion trends, go to a middle schooler).
  • Lots of engagement (two-way, not just one-way) – Lots of followers is not enough; they must be able to motivate the followers to engage (and hopefully purchase). Look for comments, replies, likes and conversation.
  • Great communication skills – You don’t want someone representing your brand if they can’t write or speak with authority.
  • Systematic curiosity – Find someone who demonstrates a thirst to learn; those are the people who usually share their experiences too. Think Tim Ferriss.
  • Track record of successful recommendations in the past – You want to work with someone who commands trust and respect that has been earned over time. It’s not enough that they make recommendations; it’s that they make recommendations that are valuable to their audience, over and over.
  • No focus on “influencing”, focus on something else and the influence is incidental – If they have #influencer in their bio, walk away.

Are you working with influencers? Have you seen success with that strategy? Please share your insights with us!

 

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Featured image via Flickr CC: FaceMePLS

Does Your Brand Get the Right Amount of Advertising?

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night-692261_640Depending on the size of your business, you may or may not have a tight advertising budget.

No matter where your budget falls, you hopefully know that advertising (and marketing for that matter) is of major importance in your ability to spread your brand’s word.

Minus advertising, you then have to rely on word-of-mouth from satisfied customers. Although such advertising can work to a degree, getting your brand’s name, phone number, website address etc. out there for countless eyes to see is imperative.

Keeping that in mind, is this the year you up your advertising ante, looking to get added bang for your dollar?

If so, determining just where those ads will be placed is the crucial decision at hand.

Where Do You Get the Most Eyes and Ears?

Knowing where you are likely to get the best results for your advertising efforts will, of course, play into how you go about promoting your brand.

On the one hand, you could allocate more funds towards the web and mobile devices, especially given how many consumers use both to browse for and ultimately buy goods and services.

On the other hand, have you opted in recent years (unless of course, you are just opening up a business) for billboard advertising for your brand? If not, look below to the different advantages it offers.

They include:

  • Constant 24/7 exposure until your placement runs out;
  • Competitive prices depending on which advertising agency you go with;
  • Advertisement placement where you may not have direct competition from others in your industry.

Lastly, billboard advertising gives you the opportunity to get it right the first time around, typically with little chance for error.

As an example, how many times have you seen a brand advertise its products or services in a newspaper or magazine, only to see a misspelled word or two? When this occurs, the brand has to ask for a correction. By then, the damage may already have been done.

Even though the brand itself may very well not be responsible for the gaffe (in many cases, the individual at the newspaper or magazine typing in ad copy is responsible), many consumers may pause and giggle about the mistake.

In many cases, the brand has left an impression, one which will not exactly win it lots of new customers.

Where Should You Locate Your Billboard Message?

As important as your brand’s message is with billboard advertising, where exactly should your ad be placed?

Where that billboard message goes and how it is designed will, of course, be determined by several factors.

They include:

  • Whether you want in town or leading into or out of town. Your message will obviously play a role in this.
  • Do you want your billboard near a director competitor’s billboard and/or their office or store?
  • Are you looking for a rotating billboard message, one that is lit in the evening hours, and a message that offers imagery of someone from your company or a local model or actor?

Lastly, determine whether or not you want to add your website address to the billboard or not.

In today’s digital age, it is almost a surprise when companies do not add a website listing to a billboard.

When people are passing by (typically in vehicles); it can be difficult to jot down a company phone number. Your company’s web address should prove much easier for the consumer to remember.

In order for your brand to get the right amount of publicity, billboard ads can do wonders for your business.

With that in mind, are you building more recognition for your brand this year?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

Social Media Etiquette for Your Business

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mobile-phone-1917737_640If you’re a business owner using social media these days to promote your brand, welcome to the group.

Millions of business owners around the globe use social media regularly in order to push their products and/or services, hoping that consumers answer the call.

That said properly using social media is of the utmost importance, especially if you want your brand’s online reputation to be a sound one.

So, would you consider you and your team well-versed on social media etiquette? If not, do you planning on learning more in how to go about being a good social media participant?

Being Socially Responsible

So that your brand can do its best when it comes to social media and your business, remember these important pointers:

  • Message – For starters, what kind of message are you intending to send with social media? Some business owners simply use social media because their competitors are on it. While that is a decent enough reason to be active on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and others, it certainly shouldn’t be your prime reason. First and foremost, you should be on social networking sites to deliver your brand’s message. That message should be as to why your products and/or services are superior to your competitors. Make sure each and every time that you go on a social site it has some purpose to it. Just casually using social media is fine for people with personal messages, but companies are best-served when they have a reason to use social sites on a daily basis;
  • Messenger – Do you have a designated messenger or messengers to deliver your social message on a regular basis? Some companies opt to have one person in charge of their social efforts, while others have multiple people doing the job (including the owner at times). You need to decide which voice or voices will deliver your message, thereby allowing for a more consistent voice;
  • Commitment – How committed will you and your team (if you run a company with employees) be to social media? Unfortunately, some business owners only dabble on occasion with social media, thereby missing out on some great opportunities to get their brand the recognition it needs to survive. Be sure to make social media one of your priorities as a business owner. Just coming and going on occasion is not going to be worth your time or that of those consumers doing or looking to do business with you.

Avoid Negative Social Media Experiences

  • Positivity – Although you might be tempted to fire off a negative post every now and then, avoid it at all costs. It is one thing when you don’t run a business to engage in some tit-for-tat negativity on social media. It is an entirely different animal when you have a business reputation to nurture and ultimately protect. Yes, some consumers (including even longtime customers) might get under your skin every now and then, but avoid the temptation to strike back on social media. If you decide to respond to any negative comments, always do it in a professional manner;
  • Growth – Finally, always be looking to grow your social media presence over time. While making money is and always should be your top priority (don’t forget customer service and its importance too), being relevant on social networking sites is all but a necessity these days. With millions and millions of consumers the globe over on social media, you would be foolish to think it can’t do some good for your business. That said take the time to craft a well thought out social media approach, one where your business shines daily.

As a business owner, how are you putting social media to work for your brand?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

Your Marketing Funnel is Actually a Rube Goldberg Device

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The traditional marketing funnel is gone, folks.

It’s been replaced by a gigantic, unpredictable, over-the-top Rube Goldberg device.

Giant rube goldberg device
Foto: Johannes Abeling

 

There was a time when the “marketing funnel” was as simple as a consumer seeing a television ad, driving to the store, looking for your branded product, and then purchasing it.

Now, the consumer of that same product can receive a suggestion from his Amazon Echo, then decide to go read some reviews online, get sidetracked by a related (native advertising) article on the product, ask a few questions of the live chatbot on the product ordering page, decide to wait until Christmas, then go into a physical store to make the purchase.

This critical shift in the consumer mindset is going to require a similar shift in the marketing mindset.

5 Key Mindset Shifts to Deal with the New Marketing Funnel Reality

First of all, it’s not linear – the original funnel concept assumed that the customer went through a defined, linear process that was highly predictable. With the new, complex customer journey, there are sidetracks, cul de sacs, and fast-forwards. Each facet of your marketing approach needs to be able to stand alone, to account for consumers who jump into the middle of your marketing/sales process.

Second, you don’t know what they know – studies have claimed that up to 70% of the pre-purchase research is done before the customer even approaches a salesperson. In the new mindset, you can’t just launch into a canned pitch. You need to do a lot of questioning and listening, to find out what the person already knows or assumes about your product. This is so important to start building trust with your customer.

Third, agility is key – your marketing content arsenal needs to be diverse and refreshed frequently. You absolutely must be willing to experiment, pivot, and A/B test like a mad scientist. Schedule time to look at your analytics on a regular basis to see where your customers are coming from, where they’re going on your website, and which content is resonating (or not). Don’t forget to ask your prospects about their journey when you speak to them as well. “Oh, I decided to visit your site after an agency friend of mine recommended you at a conference I just attended.”

Fourth, spread your wings – the old funnel had a single output. You could stand there and take in the leads. Now, you need to put yourself out there and be ready to catch the ball wherever it emerges from the Rube Goldberg device. The new customer might reach out via a Tweet, a Facebook comment, an email, or by filling out your online inquiry form. It’s imperative that you have someone available to “answer the phone,” whatever that means to your customer.

Oh, and fifth, sales is different now too – HBR described this piece of the sales shift in an excellent article. The old sales playbook has been tossed out along with the marketing funnel.

How are you dealing with the new marketing funnel reality?

 

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Featured image via Flickr CC: Arne Hendriks