How Do You Know When It’s Time to Rebrand?

In the comedy industry, if you have to explain a joke, it wasn’t very funny.  How does this adage translate to the corporate world, and more importantly, your branding strategy?

Are You Explaining Your Brand?

The first, most obvious, sign that you need to rebrand is if you find yourself consistently having to explain or make excuses for your logo and slogans to your target audience.  This means that there is a disconnect between the message you are trying to convey and the one your potential customers are receiving.

Has Your Target Client Base Lost Attention?

Rebranding is also necessary when it is clear that you are no longer reaching your target audience.  A good example of this would be the trials and tribulations of the now defunct Oldsmobile brand.  By the late eighties, they obtained a reputation of being a vehicle for an older person.  While a healthy debate could be generated about whether or not rejecting that mantle was a mistake, the fact was that they wanted to reach the youth market.  This was not possible with their image in the marketplace.  Subsequently, in the early nineties, they rebranded with a “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile” ad campaign, along with a slick and contemporary logo.

Have You Outgrown Your Brand?

Rebranding is also often the side effect of a change in the business.  It is possible for a company to grow beyond its brand identity in the market place.  In this case, it is necessary to rebrand in order to reflect those changes.  The World Wrestling Federation is a very good example of this change.  For decades, they sold little else besides body slams.  Today, they are involved in sports entertainment, music, and publishing.  The old WWF brand was too narrow to reflect the company’s current structure.  After a complete rebranding, they now exist as the extremely successful World Wrestling Entertainment.  If rumors are to be believed, there will be a future rebranding where the word “wrestling” is removed from the name.

Has Your Business Stagnated?

Finally, a common source of rebranding is stagnation.  There may be nothing technically wrong with a business’s current brand identity, but after many years with the same image of trappings, it is impossible for the impact to be the same.  In this case, the rebranding is not as dramatic as in the previous two cases, but rather, the rebrand takes the form of “tweaks.”  This is especially true when the images and language that attract your target audience keeps changing.

Pepsi is an excellent example of this paradigm.  The Pepsi logo of today is dramatically different than the one of twenty years ago.  This is because they have branded themselves as the drink of the young.  The same images and slogans that would have garnered the attention of a young person twenty years ago would not register with the youth of today.  In recognition of this, the Pepsi brand is regularly re-evaluated and changed to reflect the current mores and norms of their youthful demographic.

Rebranding is always a tough decision, but these suggestions should provide you with food for thought regarding when a business may need to rebrand their image.

3 Affordable Long-Term Advertising Strategies

Advertising on a budget means carefully considering your long term goals, as well as your short term ones.  While every business focuses on generating profits, one sale today from a customer that never comes back won’t help your long-term business prospects.  On the other hand, a customer that cannot afford to buy today may be able to make a purchase in the future when the economy turns upward.

Subsequently, all of your advertising strategies should be aimed at making a lasting impression with the client – not just making a temporary sale.

Smart Long-Term Branding

Your advertising is effective only if it builds and cements your branding strategy.  People will often buy a brand that they recognize.  For example, think of your favorite carbonated beverage.  Chances are the first brand that popped into your mind was either a Coke or a Pepsi product; you probably aren’t thinking about the off brand that your grocer also stocks.  This instant association is the power of branding.

Branding simply involves getting your name and logo out everywhere.  Your logo should be on everything – every product you sell, every brochure, every business card, and every ad in the paper.  It can even go on your office stationery.

The Keepsake Advertisement

Another way to maintain your image with the customer is to give them something that they can keep for an extended period of time.  Let’s face it – most catalogs, sales ads, and bulk mail end up in the recycling bin shortly after their arrival.  This means that you will need to get creative with how you approach the customer.

Many companies find success using an annual calendar.  The calendar will be used by the client all year long, and you can include special savings or coupons on each page to encourage them to call.  Many realtors use notepads or refrigerator magnets as a way to keep their name in front of their customers.  Post-its, T-shirts, ball caps, stickers, magnets – anything that appears to have more value than a sales flyer is often held onto longer, giving you more opportunities to reach the customer.  Maybe they can’t buy today, but they’ll be thinking about you tomorrow.

Customer Loyalty Programs

All customers like to feel appreciated, and creating a customer loyalty program is a good way to build repeat business.  Some businesses do this in the form of a discount card that members can use to receive special deals.  Your local sandwich shop may have a punch card that rewards you with a free meal once you buy 10.  Members-only mailing lists with special promotions are also a big hit.

The advantage is that any of these programs is easy to implement – all you need is some printed postcards to take down the client’s information.  Punch cards or savings cards are easy to have printed.  And once you have the client’s personal information, you can contact them at will – sending them reminder letters, sales ads, and other communications throughout the year.

Remember, the goal is to build customers that will last a lifetime.  Focus on building long term customers with your advertising strategies to see the most success.

How to Build a Better Brand

In order to build a relationship with your potential customers, you need to start creating a brand identity.  The stronger your brand identity is, the more people will relate, which means they’ll continue to use your products and services even if you are more expensive than the competition. There are numerous ways to build your brand.  Here is a look at some of the inexpensive options you have that can make your business better.

Get affiliates

If your business is online, having affiliates allows someone else to do the advertising work for you.  Affiliates help to generate traffic, and they get a small percentage of the sales they generate.  Plus, since affiliates can market in a wide variety of places, people will start to notice and recognize your brand.

Create a blog

You can easily set up a blog for little to no cost and write your own articles about your business.  For a small fee, you can also hire a professional writer.  Blogs allow customers to see another side of you and get them excited about what you sell.

Stickers

You can’t say enough good things about stickers.  Stickers are inexpensive to print, colorful, and get a message across. Plus they can be stuck to nearly anything and anyone.  Stick them on anything you mail out, hand them out to customers who shop your store, or give the stickers away on the street to generate interest in your product.

Promotional gifts

Anything that you can print up and give away to customers, prospects, and suppliers can be a great way to build your brand.  Whether you are printing up baseball caps or note cards, post-it notes or T-shirts – the more places you can slap on your logo, the better.

Newsletters

Newsletters are a smart way to keep in touch with customers and potential prospects.  It can include articles, upcoming events, or even special coupons.  You can choose to print and mail a newsletter or do it all virtually via email.

Holiday gifts

Everyone loves gifts.  Make sure you remember your clients throughout the year with little gifts.  Smaller holidays could be observed with a box of chocolates featuring your logo sticker placed prominently on the front.  For a larger holiday, consider giving out gifts that will last longer – such as a promotional calendar for the client to hang in their office.

Thank you notes

Remember back to when you sent great-grandma a thank you card for the $5 she mailed you for your birthday?  She surely appreciated hearing from you, and your clients will feel the same.  Take the time to send a postcard or a note to every customer that makes a purchase.  This will help them feel appreciated and will help you to generate repeat business.

Logos everywhere!

Everything related to your company should match.  A printing company can assist you with establishing logo congruency. Your business cards should match your stationery, which should match your brochures, which should match your website, which should match your T-shirts – and the list goes on.  It may seem repetitive, but this is how your logo and your product become engraved in the minds of your customers.

From Silly to Sincere to Silly Again: How to Shift into a New Marketing Theme

Your overall marketing theme brands your business tremendously.  A somber and sincere marketing theme can convey professionalism and rationalism. A silly and lighthearted marketing theme can convey warmth and humor.

Occasionally, you may feel the need to switch to a new marketing theme. Perhaps your business’ overall tone has shifted, or maybe you just don’t feel that your advertising angle is working anymore. Either way, switching to a new marketing theme can be a challenge. Here are some tips and techniques on how to make the transition a little bit simpler:

• Review and Plan – A solid strategy meeting or session is the first step to successfully transitioning to a new marketing theme. First, you must review what elements of your old strategy were not working. Then, you must have a clear and focused outline of what your new strategy will be. It is crucial that you have clearly identified your rationale for changing marketing themes. Otherwise, it is the equivalent of throwing darts blindfolded.
• Look at Other Businesses – We are not saying that you should steal another business’ successful marketing theme. However, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It is important that you can look at other successful marketing themes and then devise a way to customize them and make them your own. Always be original and never steal ideas, but don’t shy away from modeling your themes and strategies after those of successful companies that you admire.
• Ease Into the Transition – Gradually shift into your marketing theme; don’t do it instantaneously. If consumers have grown accustomed to looking at your company in a certain light, then it will be too sudden for them to suddenly see a completely different marketing scheme. Create transition ads that could fit into a serious or silly scheme, and then slowly shift into your new theme.

No matter what you do, just be sure to create a theme that you truly feel fits your company. And remember: It is never to late to makeover your company’s image.

How to Create Marketing Materials That Can Last Forever

You certainly hope that your small business or company will last as long as you will. However, creating a successful business that can withstand the test of time can be a real challenge. It is hard to maintain a great reputation and a reliable brand name for decade after decade. However, if your business is your passion, then we understand how crucial this indeed is.

One secret of successful small businesses is that they are consistently effective in their marketing efforts. One even bigger secret of successful small businesses is that their advertising strategy remains the same year after year. This is because they made sure to get it correct the first time. A good company doesn’t publicly flip-flop around different ad campaigns. This is not effective at establishing your business as a memorable brand.

How do you create marketing materials that can withstand the test of time? Here are some tips:

• Perfected Copy – The text on your initial marketing materials should be so flawless and timeless that it does not require any updating or revamping down the road. Excellent ad copy is not time specific, but rather conveys the fact that your company consistently provides quality services or products.
• A Memorable Logo – Wonder why companies like Coca-Cola or Apple have not changed their logo over the years? It’s because they simply don’t need to – they got it right the first time. A memorable logo should be able to carry your company for hundreds of years, not just ten or fifteen.
• Slogans and Themes – Ensure that your brand is memorable by maintaining consistent slogans and themes. Your brand’s identity should not change with the seasons. Your promotions, specials, or discounts may indeed change on a monthly basis, but the overall manner in how you present them to the public should remain constant.

Remember, companies that stand up to the test of time do so because they are able to consistently keep customers coming back for more. Moreover, they create a recognizable brand image that the public associates with happy feelings and emotions. Never simply throw your marketing materials together. Take time to ensure that they are of the utmost quality, just like your company.

How to Get More Bang for Your Marketing Buck

It is truly shocking to see how many companies hastily throw together marketing and promotional materials without thoroughly analyzing their marketing strategy. In this economy, every expense needs to generate a return. Having a powerful, cohesive branding strategy is critical to making the marketing materials investment worthwhile.

Of course, the average small business cannot afford to hire a million dollar advertising agency (if only!). However, it does not take an advertising professional or a fancy company to create aesthetically appealing marketing materials that really pack a punch. Here are some tips for getting more “bang for your buck” when it comes to your promotional materials.

• Optical Weight – A point to keep in mind when assembling your marketing materials is the concept of optical weight. Optical weight is the idea that some graphics and groups of text are “heavier” than others. Darker areas tend to pull our eyes and seem heavier, while lighter areas are more effervescent and carefree. Use optical weight to your advantage by making important points and graphics darker – and thus, “heavier” – than less important areas.
• Consistency – Consistency is really important when it comes to your marketing materials. It is consistently that reinforces your branding strategy and increases the probability of customer recognition. Ensure that the logo and font for your company name on one flyer is identical to your brochure. Consistently is critical to driving home a theme and image that enables customers to easily picture your company when they think of your product.
• Avoid Clutter – A streamlined flyer or brochure is better than a clunky one. You may feel the need to tell everything there is to know about your company, especially if you are on a tight marketing budget. However, a streamlined ad is not only more visually pleasing, but much more memorable. Encourage the customer to call you, where you can then truly impress them again with all of your company’s great features.

If you follow these tips, you are sure to efficiently optimize the effectiveness of your marketing materials.