Successful Blog

3 Keys to Better Brand Marketing Starting Now

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Would you say you are doing a good job of marketing your brand to consumers?

Some companies are spot-on when it comes to marketing their brands. For others, they have some work to do.

With this in mind, how are you going about marketing your brand to capture as much sales and revenue as possible?

Alert Consumers to Why They Should Buy Your Brand

In marketing your brand to be a winner, remember these keys moving forward:

  1. You define the message and not the competition – One of the keys to a successful brand is to get your message out. Even when you do get that message out, it is important you define it and not your competition. So, make sure the message going out is the one you want. If you let your competition define you, it can have negative repercussions now and down the road. For example, if you are an automaker or dealer, you want consumers to know why your brand stands out. Before buying their next auto, folks want many details about what their next auto can offer. Be sure you deliver that message.
  2. Use all available delivery – When trying to get your brand front and center, use many tools. For example, do you use social networking sites? Some brands are asleep at the wheel when it comes to using social media to their advantage. As a result, their competitors can get a leg up on them. There are a myriad of social media sites you can use to your advantage. Best of all, social media is in essence free for you to use. As an example, are you on Instagram? This site is a great one to use when you want to convey images of your brand to consumers. Twitter is a good one to run not only info on your brand but links to relevant articles and more on your industry. No matter the social site or sites you choose to go with, be socially active.
  3. Your customers are valuable – While you view your customers as valuable to you, do not only think they are a sale. Some of your customers can prove to be great for you when it comes to promoting your brand. If you have some customers willing to do testimonials for you, by all means let them go for it. Such testimonials can have more impact with consumers than ads you do on your own. This is because some consumers tend to be more swayed when they see a fellow consumer talking up a brand. You can offer those customers willing to do testimonials some incentives. These can include discounts on other purchases they make and so on. The key is having as many customers as possible deliver the good news to other consumers. Whether time to go car shopping or buy other items, first-hand experiences from others can mean a lot.

When you need to do a better job of brand marketing, where will you begin?

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about marketing topics on the web.

 

Automakers Need to Continue Marketing Driving Safety

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With so many vehicles on the road, it is no surprise that there are opportunities for accidents to occur. When they do, they can be of the minor variety or quite serious.

With that in mind, a vehicle that gives consumers the ultimate protection is crucial.

So, are automakers doing all they can to market safety? Also, are consumers heeding the warnings and taking time to shop for the safest autos on the market?

Marketing Safety to the Public

When it comes to automakers, it is key to not only come up with the safest vehicles but also alert consumers to them.

For example, when a consumer goes car shopping, he or she should have as much auto safety info available. Given safety is an issue on the roads, safer drivers and vehicles means fewer accidents.

That said automakers can and should continue to do the following:

  1. Market safety on their websites – A company’s website is one of its best resources to spread the word to the public. That said automakers need to continue to use this vehicle to spread safety info. From blogs and reports on safety trends to videos and more, marketing safety is a win-win for all.
  2. Test vehicles on a regular basis – Many consumers have likely seen those commercials. The ones that come with the disclaimer that there is a pro driver behind the wheel during a safety test. Testing vehicles in high-performances situations leads automakers to discover more about autos. Such testing can find faults with vehicles before they hit the market for consumers to buy.
  3. Use social media – Along with auto websites, another way for them to drive home auto safety is social media. Given all the consumers on social media, it stands to reason this is a good place to go for auto safety info. Consumers can follow their favorite automakers on their respective social channels. In doing so; stay in tune with the latest in auto safety news.

Drivers Have a Role to Play Too

Even while critical for automakers to do all they can to produce safe autos; drivers have a role here to play too
That being the case, drivers must play a major part in the safety equation.

For example, if you are a parent and your teen will be driving soon or is, were they taught the right way to drive?

Unfortunately, some teen drivers are not as safe as they need to be out on the roads. As a result, they put themselves and others in harm’s way when getting behind the wheel.

The same can be said for adult drivers. Some do not take driving and the privilege it is to have a license in the first place in a serious manner. As a result, they make others less safe out on the roads. In some instances, the bad decisions can lead to fatal consequences.

When automakers and drivers come together on safety, everyone stands to be safer on the roads.

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about marketing topics on the web.

 

Does Your Brand Market Success?

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How good of a job are you doing these days when it comes to marketing your brand for success?

If you responded to say not all that good, don’t you think this will need to change?

This is especially the case if you are in an industry where you face a lot of competition on a daily basis.

So, does your brand market success or do you need to focus more on your marketing efforts?

What Marketing Initiatives Are You Using?

In looking at your brand’s marketing efforts, are you focused where you should be?

To start, are you doing the bulk of your marketing in-house or out-sourcing what you need done? If the latter, you want to be sure you are working with a top-notch agency.

Whether you look at Klicker or another inbound marketing agency, find one that works for you.

One of the ways to find the right agency for your marketing needs is using the Internet.

Many marketing agencies have websites. As such, it is not all that difficult to find them online.

With a Google search or if you already have an agency’s website URL, get online and begin the hunt. Before long you may have the agency you need to partner with for more brand success.

In looking at which agency to work with, consider the following:

  • How long has the agency been around? While there are some great young agencies out there, one with experience may be your best bet. Either way, find the agency that will get to know you and your brand and help you succeed.
  • What does the agency have to offer? – Different marketing agencies will have a myriad of offers available. That said find the one best suited to your brand’s marketing needs.
  • Will the customer service be first-rate? – Last, you need a marketing agency that provides you with first-rate customer service. Anything short of this will not cut it. That said get some feelers on how agencies you consider working with treat customers.

What is Your Competition up to?

While you do not want to become fixated on what your competitors are doing, do not go to sleep on them either.

With this thought in mind, do you know what they do, especially as it concerns their online efforts?

In checking out their efforts, you should get a better understanding of what works and what does not. As a result, it can help you become more in tune with what marketing steps you may well need to take.

Finally, look for ways to push the envelope when it comes to your online marketing efforts.

From contests to podcasts and more, make your brand stand out from others. This is why seeing what the competition is up to and finding ways to one up them is key.

When you stop to look at what you are doing, is your brand marketing making its case?

In the event the answer is no, you need to get working on a successful brand marketing operation.

Photo credit: Pixiebay

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

 

Book Review: Wise Guy, by Guy Kawasaki

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If you’ve spent any time in marketing or business development, you’ve certainly heard of Guy Kawasaki.

You might think of him as the ex-Apple guy, or perhaps the first person you ever knew to hold the title “Chief Evangelist” as a professional job. You might have seen him speak at an event, or heard about his famous 10-20-30 pitch rule: “no more than 10 slides, not using anything smaller than a 30-point font, and keeping presentation time to 20 minutes.”

But do you know anything about his journey to becoming “Guy Kawasaki?”

And why is he always smiling?

The introduction to Wise Guy says it’s not an autobiography, and it’s not. It’s a fantastic ride through Guy’s life and lessons-learned, as only he can write.

Read a book

In rough chronological order, Wise Guy takes the reader into Guy’s childhood in Hawaii, which laid the groundwork for both his work ethic and his love of surfing. The anecdotes from his life story are followed by one or more tidbits of wisdom, denoted by the “shaka” symbol (you might know it as the Hawaiian hand gesture that roughly means “aloha” or “right on”).

For all of the writers in our Successful Blog community, Guy recommends a great book called, “If You Want to Write,” by Brenda Ueland. Its primary takeaway is…just write! You don’t have to wait for permission, or a book deal, or anything else. If you write, you’re a writer.

The through-threads in Wise Guy are joy, kindness, and humility. That makes for a “business book” that is only tangentially about business, but all about business. I’d recommend reading this book to anyone who’s feeling a bit stuck in their career, a bit unfocused, or a bit depressed about their achievements. It’s a hit of fresh air.

In case you’re thinking it’s just a series of aphorisms and feel-good quotes, that’s not the deal. One very clear aspect of Guy’s life is his no-nonsense approach. He learned to tell the brutal truth at the side of Steve Jobs, and says that “the foundation of evangelism is a great product.” There are plenty of “evangelists” out there who are colorful foils for sub-par products, but they are doomed to fail. Guy’s mantra is all about working hard, proving yourself, and paying your dues.

I’d recommend reading this book through once, and then bookmarking the lessons that you need to hear more than once. It’s the style of book that you can refer back to, if you find yourself in a professional situation that feels daunting.

You’ll be happy having Guy’s shaka at your fingertips.

 

Wise Guy: Lessons from a Life
by Penguin Group (USA) LLC
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DBPNK41/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_QecBCb2RV4X1N

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of Wise Guy for the purposes of writing a review. 

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who is CEO of Narrative, a new social content platform coming in beta in April 2019.  You can find Rosemary on Twitter as @rhogroupee.

Take Your Law Firm Marketing to New Heights

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In operating your legal practice, have you factored in the importance of marketing?

In the event you have not, do you have concerns that your law firm may be a step or two behind your nearest competitors?

When you come up with a winning marketing plan, your legal practice can benefit in so many different ways.

With that in mind, is it time to see what digital marketing can do for your firm today?

Where Best to Start?

In deciding if in fact digital marketing is right for your law firm, where best to start?

There are many digital marketers out there. But how will you know which one is best suited to help you grow your legal practice?

To get you started off in the right direction, do some Google research on the marketing firms out there.

Sure, you can’t look at them all, but you should get a fair sampling of them to better help you make a decision.

That said you may want to see who some of your legal competitors are using for marketing help. Unless they are doing in-house marketing, they have probably reached outside for help.

You should also spend time seeing which marketers get the highest grades in their field.

By having some good research info to work off of, you are in a better position to hire the right digital marketer. Whether it is Legal Legends or another top company, get the help to grow your brand.

Do You Know Your Role?

Even if working with a top-notch digital marketer, you still have some work to do on your end.

First, are you adept at social media and the importance it plays in today’s digital world?

Sure, the digital marketer you go with may very well set up and oversee any social media accounts you have.

Among the sites you should be going for:

That said you should still do some posting on your own. When you do, you should become more comfortable with how social media works.

You want to engage prospects with questions and comments on your legal services. Doing so could make the difference between you representing them or not.

Second, you might want to see if some of your clients who’ve you represented are willing to do a testimonial for you.

Such testimonials can carry a fair amount of weight with consumers. When they do, you could see more prospective business head in your direction.

Those testimonials could be on a local TV station, in the local newspaper, and even appear on your website. No matter where they go, they can be a difference maker when people are deciding which law firm is best for them.

Last, always work with your digital marketer to see where trends in your industry are going. You want to be at the forefront when it comes to digital marketing in the legal world, not lagging behind.

So, are you going to take your law firm marketing to new heights sooner than later?

Photo credit: Pixibay

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business topics on the web.

 

Let Your Customers Help Market Your Business

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How much marketing of your business do you do? Of even more importance, are you doing the right things to market your business?

Unfortunately, too many owners come up short in marketing their businesses. As a result, they can be missing out on some great opportunities to pull in more business.

One of the best ways to market your business is by letting your customers spread the word.

With that in mind, is it time your customers went to work for you?

Have You Been Missing Out on Good Marketing Opportunities

In deciding to let your customers help market your business for you, keep these ideas in mind:

  1. Social media – Given many of your customers are likely on social media, let them spread the word. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and more are all top-notch social sites. As such, customers talking social in regards to your brand can help lead to better marketing. This is true whether marketing the best steak knives or countless other products. When you see your brand mentioned in social circles, get involved in the conversation. For instance, a customer goes to your Facebook page and has a question or even an issue with your business. Do not let the matter go unnoticed. Consumers appreciate when business owners lend them an ear. Even if you do not get more business from that customer, he or she may be happy enough with a response to recommend you.
  2. Testimonials – It is not uncommon to do testimonials in hopes of landing more business. You should ask customers if they’d be willing to do this with you. Whether a TV ad, online note or others, customer testimonials can help generate sales. To increase the chances of testimonials, be willing to give your customers incentives. This can be discounts on future sales and more. A good testimonial from a satisfied customer can lead to bringing in other consumers.
  3. Word-of-mouth – Even with how great social media and testimonials are, word-of-mouth is big. That said make it so your customers want to tell their family and friends about your brand. This all starts and ends with great customer service. Your customers want to be treated like kings and queens when they come to you for business. As such, don’t drop the ball in this all-important endeavor.

In letting customers help market your business, are you getting the job done?

Photo credit: Pixibay

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business topics on the web.