Archive for the ‘branding’ Category
Friday, August 26th, 2011
Your brand’s message must convey a compelling benefit that fulfills a need or solves a problem that your target audience has or finds themselves faced with. If your brand is offering a solution, it must be a solution that is perceived as practical, desirable and believable. If you are describing a bundle of services or strengths, those attributes must be perceived as offering tangible results and being value adding.
Someone has to want, need or desire what you are offering if you are going to be successful. More importantly, they have to know that they want, need or desire your product and its benefits.
A great message strategy sets up a situation or need, makes a Promise, includes a believable Reason Why and asks for the sale — typically in very few words or through a single compelling image. Great advertising and media messages are a challenge to create and the most memorable ones are often stunning in their simplicity (‘Just do it!’). Those of us in the advertising industry know that it only looks easy. An enormous amount of research and thought has to go into the process … Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author, www.pplusonline.com (Excerpted from Lori’s book, Be the Bulb!. To read more, visit Amazon.com HERE.
Tags: Be the Bulb!, branding, Herlife Publishing, Lori Martinek, marketing, message strategy, positioning
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Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
… MAKE it happen! Success comes to those who go after it — in any economy. There’s no magic formula to live by, just four undeniable truths that apply to any business or brand.
Lori’s ‘Four To Live By’:
– Make Yourself Visible;
– Plant the Idea;
– Ask For the Sale;
– Deliver As Promised and Provide Exceptional Service.
Always
Servicing the sale is more important than closing the deal. The experience of working with you and your company is what customers will remember. First impressions count, but it’s the perceived experience that makes or breaks a reputation …. Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author, http://pplusonline.com
Tags: branding, branding expert, customer service, first impressions, Lori Martinek, marketing, personal branding, sales, sales success, small business, success
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Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Your marketing strategy, like life in general, must always be a work in progress. People change, markets change, circumstances change, the world changes — and your relation to (or with) all of these will also change and evolve.
You must avoid inertia by working to ensure that your offering and your message remain relevant amidst change. You must keep your sites focused on the target, as it moves, to ensure that you keep moving toward your goal.
There will always be opportunities to make your company stronger, smarter and more successful. Watch for these opportunities — and then enbrace and expand on them.
Evolving brands — and businesses — thrive. Static brands die. Change for the sake of change is not the solution. Considered brand evolution is.
Alway be considering your next toward success. … Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author, http://pplusonline.com
Tags: brand evolution, branding, branding strategy, Lori Martinek, marketing, marketing strategy, personal branding, presentation plus, sales success
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Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
It’s the new reality: More people are likely to meet you or visit your company for the first time online than they are in person. That all-important first impression that you’re about to make? You probably won’t be there to make it in person.
Google (or Bing or whatever search engine or social networking tool that you or they prefer to use) is no longer just a search engine, it is also a reputation manager. Potential customers, employers, workers, residents, partners and even potential dating prospects are using online tools to find … learn … compare … and form opinions BEFORE they contact, meet or visit the subject (You!) in person. Make sure that you like what they see — and learn — when they find you or your company online. Your online impression must be positive and strong. Second chances are very, very rare these days.
Google yourself, regularly, and make sure that you like what you see. Focus on the first two pages … few people look beyond those results. And if you’re not seeing anything at all? It’s time to start working on developing an online strategy so that you can Be Visible … and Get Found, in a positive way …. Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author, http://pplusonline.com
Tags: branding, branding strategy, Herlife, Lori Martinek, reputation management, social media, Social Media Marketing
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Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
Create Stakeholder Interest, Input and Investment in your brand … right from the start. It is the best way to create an army of Brand Champions.
Always Base Your Brand In Reality … Make sure that it reflects what exists today, NOT what you hope it will become tomorrow … or at some point in the future, once you’ve had a chance to ‘work on things’.
Keep Your Focus on the Target Audience and THEIR Needs … and how what the Benefit that you have to offer can fulfill those needs better than anyone else … or any other place … can.
Focus on Benefits, not Attributes … Always. Attributes are features and are often presented as a list. A benefit is the promise that is offered by one or more attributes. Make sure that your benefit is competitive, compelling and believable.
Branding is an Investment. Consider it carefully and call in outside expertise if you can. It is always difficult to objectively study your own backyard and see the real strengths and challenges … and …
Your Brand is a Valuable Asset. Create it, nurture it, reinforce it and strengthen it, always. Strong brands survive. … Lori Martinek, Brand Expert & Author
Tags: brand champion, brand strategy, branding, Lori Martinek, marketing, target audience
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Sunday, September 12th, 2010
Our satisfied clients have always been our best source of new business and they have helped us become a marketing firm that doesn’t have to spend a lot of time marketing itself. We work very hard to ensure that our work speaks for itself!
We just completed our contract with the Real AZ Development Council, which included the development of a detailed branding strategy and the design and construction of a gateway regional website at http://www.realazcorridor.com/
The Real AZ Development Council is a collaborative regional economic development effort which promotes the Real AZ Corridor, a nearly 100-mile wide region which includes the Navajo County communities of Holbrook, Pinetop-Lakeside, Show Low, Snowflake, Taylor and Winslow and the Apache County communities of Eagar, St. Johns and Springerville. We worked closely with this large group to get to know the area … the communities … and the many strengths of Arizona’s most undiscovered region of opportunity.
We have already been asked to begin our next assignment for this rising regional development group: a full set of Community Landing Pages that will transition visitors from the gateway Real AZ Corridor site to the individual websites of the two counties and nine participating communities. We have also been retained by the towns of Taylor and Snowflake for a separate project … all based on the quality of our work … and on the quality of the experience of working with us.
Always strive to make your satisfied customers your best cheerleaders …. Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author, http://pplusonline.com/
Tags: AAED, Apache County, Arizona branding, Arizona economic development, economic development branding, Lori Martinek, marketing, Navajo County, northeast Arizona, Real AZ Corridor, regional branding, regional economic development
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Friday, June 25th, 2010
A brand is a set of perceptions, experiences and expectations that people have and hold about working or doing business with an individual, a company, a community, a region or an organization. It is entirely subjective on their part and it is based on experience, exposure and interpretation. Strong brands are clear, confident and consistent and they communicate clearly, confidently and consistently — online and off. They claim a position of value in the prospect’s mind and work tirelessly to build and maintain top of mind awareness. They inspire trust and confidence always.
Successful brands have thoughtful branding strategies directing their growth. A positioning statement is at the core of every branding strategy. Branding is the execution of the positioning statement. Effective brands make a clear promise and provide a clear and believable ‘reason why’. The effectiveness of everything that follows relies on the success of the positioning effort and strategy. Absolutely everything …. Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author
Tags: branding, Herlife Publishing, Lori Martinek, MindingHerBiz, positioning, presentation plus, target marketing
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Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Always put your best foot forward! In today’s fast-paced world, it has never been more important to make a good first impression. Why? Because that one opportunity may be the ONLY opportunity that you get. Always be on message … customer-focused … and operating at your very best — in person and online. Second chances are very rare these days.
Success is NOT accidental. It comes to the resourceful … the radiant … and the ready. Always be ready to grasp opportunity, to put your best foot forward and to shine. ..
Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author, http://lorimartinek.com
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Friday, February 19th, 2010
Now Available: Online Marketing Solutions (OMS) from Herlife Publishing:
Affordable fully-branded, socially-ready online products that are designed especially for Entrepreneurs, Business Owners and Authors, including:
- Branded Website Solutions
- Blog Templates w/RSS
- Online Branding Tools
- Social Marketing Tools
- Branded Social Profiles
- Print Marketing Tools
Herlife OMS deliver a valuable, discernible difference: Expert Branding Strategy, built right in and offering the competitive benefit of 30 years of high-level branding insights and experience. The result? A professionally branded, social media-oriented website that outshines your competition … at off-the-shelf pricing!
Here’s another great benefit: VALUE. OMS package prices range from $1,595 to $2,995, with streamlined production and scheduling. Here’s a great example: Our Accelerated Visibliity Package, which includes a Home Page, Services/Product Page, Who We Are Page, Contact Us Page, PLUS a resident, on-site Blog with full WordPress editing capabilities. All for only $1,995 … including branding elements! See other OMS Packages here.
AND: All OMS website are built in WordPress, to give YOU full editing and updating capabilities. Get the freedom you’ve always wanted … plus social networking capabilities.
Contact us at ljm@herlifepublishing.com to learn more about these affordable, high impact web solutions that can position your brand for success in the coming year.
Tags: branded, Herlife Publishing, Lori Martinek, marketing, small business marketing, socially ready websites, websites
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Monday, September 28th, 2009
Yes, social media is only one tool in your branding toolbox, but it’s a good one. Social networking … and social media marketing … are good ways to create a presence and raise your visibility in the marketplace so that you can Be Visible and Get Found.
Good branding strategy begins WELL before logo development or even naming, but once you have established a name (and taken the proper legal steps to make it yours) it’s time to go out and claim that identity online. Hopefully, you already own the .com domain name. Checking on its availability — and then buying it — should have been part of your naming process. (Other extensions are mostly a waste of time.) Now it’s time to stake your claim on the social networks. Open new accounts in your brand’s name on Twitter … Facebook (as a Page) … MySpace (yes, still) … Namyz … Ning … Plaxo … Google (profiles) … and any other social network that 1) reaches your target audience; 2) is a network where you have a personal profile and could link your network to the brand; or 3) serves the industry or marketplace that your brand calls home.
The strategy? To claim — and pre-empt — your brand name and the potential profiles and portals that could be lnked to it, before a competitor (or even a completely unrelated party) does.
Tags: brand, domain branding, Facebook, google, Herlife, MindingHerBiz, myspace, namyz, ning, plaxo, Social Media Marketing, Twitter
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