"Brand": Important concept or annoying marketing buzzword?

Here's an all-too-common scenario:

A small business agrees to meet with a marketing expert. The business needs some help, they have goals in mind for sales, and they want to see what marketing can do to help.

Marketing expert asks a few questions, listens intently for 10 minutes, and then pulls out of his magic marketing hat an all too familiar phrase: "You need to RE-BRAND your company." Business owner's eyes get big as he thinks "Oh boy...this sounds expensive." And, he's probably right.

Let's break down exactly what the concept of "brand" is really all about. It's very simple. If you're a new business, you need to make some not-so-fundamental decisions about your business. Such as "What's the culture of our business? What image do we want to convey? Are we a fun company? Do we want to be seen as the friendly neighbor? Are we serious and all business?" The answers to these questions will go towards building your brand.

I'll give you an example to help clarify...

Apple has done a fantastic job of building on and sticking to their brand image. They're cool, hip, young, and high-quality. Everything they sell and do as a company adheres to the brand. I guarantee you that many really great product ideas have been left on the cutting-room floor because they didn't adhere to the brand. The product wasn't cool, hip, young, or high-quality enough to slap the Apple brand on it.

Brand isn't just a logo. Logo design is important, sure...and it can be a lengthy process...but slapping a new logo on your business cards doesn't constitute "re-branding" your company. It goes a lot deeper than that...and much of the work is done by your own people.

So, next time a marketing guy listens to you for 10 minutes and says that you need to "re-brand" your business...show him the door. He's thinking "new logo...new signage...new print collateral..new website" and hasn't done the legwork of really learning about your company and what your brand is really all about.

Help Out Local Businesses...Leave Your Money in Your Community

Help Out Local Businesses...Leave Your Money in Your Community

When income is down, we're tempted to go with the cheapest product/service we can buy. Often times this results in much lower quality and your dollars going to companies outside of your local community (often times, outside of our country).

As local business people, it's in my personal opinion that we all benefit by keeping as much money as possible right here in our community. Do yourself a favor and check out the website for the Louisville Independent Business Association. The association is made of a great group of local businesses that work hard to provide the best product they can right here in Louisville.

Sales are Down! Spend more on Marketing?? Not so fast.

We've all heard it before. Your sales are down..."You need to spend more on marketing!" As the head of a marketing company, I'm supposed to repeat this mantra to every business owner I meet. Guess what... I don't.

The economy is experiencing a downturn. It's not affecting all of us, but it is effecting a good portion of local businesses out there...including our clients here at Concept Media. For a good chunk of our clients, their response to the economic slump can be categorized in two ways:

1. Cut all unnecessary spending!

2. We're not getting the word out enough. Spend more on marketing!

I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle. My mantra is:

Spend less....spend SMARTER.

It is the perfect time to really look at your marketing dollars and learn the art of being more efficient and looking at the biggest "bang for the buck". If you are doing your own media buying and planning, now is the time to put your media rep's feet to the fire.

First, determine WHO you need to put your message in front of. Second, put all of your marketing dollars down on paper (what you're spending, and where). Third, of all of your marketing...what is doing the best job of hitting WHO you want to market to? Rank your media and campaigns accordingly.

Now you call your friendly local media rep and ask them, again, for the information about the readership #'s and demographics. That will tell you how much your $xxx investment is getting you. If your ad is putting you in front of 50,000 of the right prospects each month..,and they can prove it...and it costs you pennies per lead, that's a decent investment. If they can't provide you real numbers, and they're just not convincing you....Run. Yank your dollars. Now is not the time for "I just think we should do these ads...they make me feel good." Now is the time for "biggest bang for our buck".

So what, for your business, is the smartest form of marketing? That's going to vary greatly from business to business. I can recommend that you should definitely not skimp on your web presence. Getting on the web is relatively cheap, it's a dynamic form of marketing, and it's the primary form of research for many of your prospective customers. People are saving money wherever they can right now...and many are achieving that by leaving the car in the garage and sitting at home...watching TV.. with their laptop computer (like I am...right now!). See where I'm going with this? Look at it from both sides of the fence...figure out how you can benefit.

So, let's recap:

1. The economy is down.

2. It's time to market smarter.

3. The web is a cheap and smart way of marketing for many businesses.

Need help reviewing this year's marketing plan? Shoot me an email.

Marketing a Marketing Firm

As a marketing firm, we have to be experts in all areas of our industry. It's a great time to be in the industry, but it can be difficult to keep up with the latest and greatest. We have to know the web, print design, market research, PR, New Media...the list goes on and on. So, what does all this wonderful knowledge mean for our clients?

Based on their needs and goals, we may prescribe to one client a direct mail campaign and website, while another may just need a re-branding campaign and a promotional video. When you prescribe a particular strategy, we will often hear "well...then why don't YOU do this for YOUR business?!" Fair enough question...but an easy one to answer.

Simply put, we know what works for marketing firms..and what doesn't. Ever see a billboard advertising an ad agency? How about a TV commercial? Ever wonder why? Because our business is *mainly* built on two key strategies:

1. Referrals

2. Cold-Calling

The vast majority of the marketing firms out there depend mostly on referrals for generating new business, with cold-calling coming in at second. Surprising? Well, it isn't to us. We do get our stats from the industry association we belong to, but our years in business have affirmed the data.

Again, that's what works for Concept Media. It's not what's going to necessarily work for a women's clothing store, a real estate firm, or a construction company. When coming up with a marketing strategy, you ideally do your research, create a gameplan, implement, measure results...change as needed. What you do in your plan depends on your industry, your goals, your budget...YOUR needs.

Nobody cares about your business. Make them care!

There's a common theme with many of our new clients. We'll often hear "I have a great product/service...my team is great...we've spent A LOT of money getting the business to where it is, and we honestly believe we're the best there is. What we don't understand is why more people aren't buying from us! Why isn't our phone ringing off the hook? Why aren't they beating down our door? I just don't get it."

Well, it could be for a variety of reasons. Maybe you're delusional and your product isn't as good as you think. Maybe your store is in an awful location. But, if you're like most of our clients...your sales stink for one big reason: nobody cares about your and your business. I know, it sounds awful...but if I'm anything it's honest and to the point.

Let's look at the big picture. Today, people are bombarded with advertising and branding from all angles. They turn on the radio, hear an ad...pick up the paper, read an ad...turn on the TV, see more ads...go online, see more ads. Even our clothing is a walking billboard for the companies that make them. So, is it any wonder that your message might get lost in the mix? Is it any wonder that people are just a little more cynical than they were 25 years ago? With that being said there are businesses out there making decent money and getting product out the door? What are they doing differently?

First, they're giving people a reason to care about them and their business. They're doing this by a differentiating their business. They're setting themselves apart from the group and at the same time, most importantly, answering the all-too-important question: "What's in it for me?"

Smart marketers don't just drop the price and hope for the best. Smart marketers listen to their clients, find out what key factors influence their buying decision, and find a way to push that button effectively...and repeatedly.

In his book "Differentiate or Die", Jack Trout points out three key points for differentiating your business:

1. If you ignore your uniqueness and try to be everything for everybody, you quickly undermine what makes you different.

2. If you ignore changes in the market, your difference can become less important.

3. If you stay in the shadow of your larger competitions and never establish your "differentness," you will always be weak.

In short, the old-school ways of marketing your company have *some* value still, but the world is rapidly changing. You and your company have to be adept in all areas of marketing: online, print, PR, new-media, etc. The world of marketing is now, more than ever, a confusing one. As a marketing firm, we pride ourselves on knowing many aspects of the industry.

Give us a call, and we'd be happy to help you navigate through the muddy waters of marketing!