by Miriam Hara | Mar 29, 2014 | Branding, Latest
Brand value is based upon the sum of all its parts. Those parts are: a brand name, its marketing, the relationship the brand has with its target base, its intent and its history. Additionally, to a large degree brand value or brand equity is based on its level of endurance. A brand’s stamina and staying power are as important as its ability to stay true to its original intention.
In short, brand value is tied to its originality.
At the risk of sounding a tad too “mature”, I remember when marketing meant not only advertising the benefits of a brand, but communicating those benefits to the consumer in an original way. This allowed the brand to own its entire messaging, from the logo to the colour and tone used and of course, the imagery.
Today, I feel that some creative has become lazy – reaching for the low hanging fruit. This may be the result of less time and lower budgets, however the drawbacks to brand value by creating “me too” creative are significant.
Brand creative should be a significant contributor to brand value. Here are a few tips to flexing creative to become more original for your brand creative:
1. Start your brainstorming session with a brief. It should outline what the objectives are, who the competition is and what they have done in the market place.
2. Don’t build your creative around a royalty free stock image. It’s important that you completely own your visual identity. Have you ever seen an ad for a technology brand with the exact photo as an ad for an insurance service provider? It’s quite alarming. Today, many print ads and digital creative ads are based on the use of stock imagery – ugh!
3. Go for substance, not flash, unless you can achieve both without alienating your target group. The use of flash and pop up mechanisms on websites intrude rather than captivate attention.
4. Always be clever with the creative for your concept and your approach to copy and headlines. Often headlines are too tactile and lack playfulness and originality.
If the strategy is on point and implemented properly, creative will add considerably to brand value. Brand creative should be based on brand persona. And brand persona should be based on a unique set of characteristics that give it… well a personality. How else will a brand resonate with its consumers? It needs to be attractive and speak to consumers in a way that forms a true connection.
In today’s environment, the brand persona has taken on an even more prominent role. There is another dimension to develop brand personality: its voice and tone. Like every person is an original, to be a successful brand and create brand value, originality is essential.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jun 27, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Which do you want to know first? The good news or the bad news? I like to hear bad news first in order to assess damage control. And I still have something to feel enthusiastic about since the good news is yet to come. so, since this is my blog… here’s the bad news… first. The bad news is that those who study how to go viral are almost unanimous in the conclusion that going viral is a result of synchronicity, that simultaneous occurrence of events that somehow appear related but have no understandable connection. It’s about being in the right place, at the right time with the right material and a little bit of luck.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING
However, where they do agree is that you can position yourself to be in the most fortuitous place to make going viral happen.
Below are a few viral marketing tactics that can help in your quest. They may seem elementary but they are the type of tactics that build a foundation and that is always a good place to start.
VIRAL MARKETING TACTICS
Think carefully about your topic.
First, understand that not everything has the ability to go viral.
I mean, come on now did you really think your thesis on Greek Social History would go viral? That means before we start fantasizing about our success we have to consider is it reasonable to expect that your project can go viral. You need to choose your topic carefully. At the same time, in all fairness, none of us know which things can and will go viral. I find it hard to believe that a 15 minute video of a women trying to parallel park went viral but it did.
Experiment, test and then test again.
Next, be prepared to experiment.
Try different approaches. Don’t be satisfied with one idea. Put two or three or more ideas out there and if you don’t get results, or as my Dad used to say, don’t flog a dead horse. Try a different approach. Experiment, test, refine, and then test again.
Turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
I never relate to those articles that tell me how easy it is to get that killer app or that killer eBook or that killer product and all you have to do is have a unique idea, or create memorable content. Duh. That’s what having a good product is all about. Face it guys, you are preaching to the converted.
But you can borrow from a few standard marketing techniques. Techniques such as turning the ordinary into something beautiful, take Apple and their visually beautiful line of products or Dove with their real beauty campaign.
Give your idea a partner.
Here’s an easy way to get that extra push. Pair your idea with something unrelated but totally relatable. A bit of an oxymoron? Not really. Think of Maxwell House Coffee and the positive little girl who loves her house and just about everything in it.
MORE GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING
Viral marketing makes your business visible.
There’s one more aspect of viral marketing that makes me want to stand up and jump HOORAY! When you create a viral marketing campaign you are creating awareness and increased visibility for your business.
Do you have any ideas on how to make a campaign go viral?
by Stephanie Fasulo | May 23, 2013 | Business Success, Latest, Social Media, Uncategorized
If you decide to take your company online you’re joining a community of teachers, learners, explorers, and open-minded people who are trying new marketing communications tools that are changing every day. Just this week alone I received numerous emails about my analytics on Facebook changing… yet again. The most frustrating change Facebook Analytics did was remove the Social Reach reference when monitoring Facebook Ads, in the Full Report mode ! Working around this new development, I was still able to find the necessary metrics I needed, in a less efficient way… a needless to say, a tad more stressful! This got me wondering on how any of us can keep up with our work while the platforms we work on everyday change so often!
Don’t get we wrong, I totally accept that being in social media, it’s what we signed up for, this diverse, ever-changing, community of social people. But how do we keep it up when there are so many other priorities in the day-to-day business of doing? Rather than depending on email updates or announcements, there are a few ways we can deal with the ever evolving ground of social media. Based on your brand’s vision and more importantly, goals that you establish, here are a few alternatives in how you can manage your social media initiatives. Picking the right one for your business will make the difference between how well you navigate the many transitions that are sure to come!
Hire someone: Hiring a designated person to handle your company’s social media specifically regardless of company size is that you can maintain a steady, unwavering pulse on social media and all the changes that happen so often. You can start off my hiring a part-time full-time person. This will allow the person to get a read on the business culture and brand voice so that they can communicate effectively.
Outsource: Like everything else in business, if you outsource to your social media initiatives to the right partner, your social media becomes their priority…and seeing that they are in the business of social media, they not only have a pulse on the changes, but they are the at the forefront of the changes and their potential impact on your business’ social initiatives. More care would have to be taken to ensure that the business culture and voice is portrayed consistently.
DIY: . I’m not saying not to do it yourself! You can be successful if you immerse yourself. You just have to know that you need to be involved with the image and online brand being shared all over the world every minute of every day. If your company is small, it can be fun and exciting to do it yourself because you can see your fan base and community build…in real time! You have to ask yourself though… is the time you are taking to do it yourself, taking you away from “your real job”…and thus short-changing the business goals?
Don’t get involved: Let’s face it, there’s always those who jump in with both feet…that would be the early adopters. And then there are those that really take a long time to get on board…and that would be the slow movers. In some cases, there are those that don’t ever get on board! I ‘m not sure if that’s even an option in today’s marketing and business landscape. After all, social media isn’t just Facebook…it’s LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, MosiacHub, Reddit,Social Media Today and GuestBlog…to name a few.
If you are reading this right now you are already apart of the social media community where we all learn from each other. If there is a problem, challenge or question, online communicators… we social communicators don’t have to go very far for answers. Social Media has made us pioneers of sorts and we are all part of the same community, constantly learning and reaching out…and in fact keeping up with social media!
by Stephanie Fasulo | May 9, 2013 | Advertising, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Pinterest is a virtual tool that provides an extraordinary sharing platform like no other. 3H has a Pinterest account where we dedicate boards to our pins about useful business to business content. Our strategy is to engage and inspire followers, business-related or not, and give an insight to the marketing, advertising and social media world from our perspective. We recently updated our 3rd eBook “Social Media Understood” with a board of 38 pins of tips and tricks for building an online brand. There are some really awe-inspiring quotes… and I’d like to share some with you here and if you like the sample, you’ll check out the rest right here!: http://pinterest.com/3hcomm/social-media-understood/
#5/38 Niche is where it’s at: This is the most important benefit and feature of the Social Media channel. Social Media is truly all a about finding your niche…and building your community…no matter how big or small. If you want to push a product or idea you’ve got to speak the same language as your customers and online fans. When you find your grove, don’t leave it – build on it.
#13/38 Social Media is not a popularity contest. As much as we all want thousands of followers, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re not connecting with your audience and building solid relationships. A twitter account boasting 10,000 followers may not be able to engage all 10,000 in the way that a smaller account of 500 followers can. It’s about engagement and influence. It should always be about quality, not quantity. You want to make sure people are actually listening to you, reading and reacting to your content. Great content breeds followers.
2/38 Get out there. This is a great one: Get out there!! Don’t be afraid to learn as you do. If you wait to learn about it all, you’ll never jump in…. or out! Don’t just tweet and post and expect results – you need to do your research, find bloggers, influencers and jump into the social-sphere of communication. Be different, stand out and reach a curious audience with a positive tone and an up-to-date experience. And oh…by the way, this is my way of getting out there!
There are great and easy pointers in our eBook “Social Media Understood” and we invite you to look it up on our Pinterest account.
Happy posting!
by Lisa Wedmann | Apr 3, 2013 | Branding, Business Success, Latest
Networking: Where Business Meets Social
Networking should be an important part of your Marketing mix. It provides a great opportunity for relationship building, brand awareness and lead generation. Networking in itself can be a full-time job if you let it. Time is a scarce commodity these days. People are so busy these days that they are looking for ways to combine their business with socializing, and looking to attend networking events that will help them achieve their business goals while building effective relationships at the same time. So how do you choose which events to go to? It is important to attend the events that will provide you with the best value for your time. Effective networking demands that you know who you are and what you want before you can effectively communicate and establish a mutually rewarding, sustainable relationship with someone.
I am constantly amazed by some people that lack common sense, so here are some tips (in no particular order) that will help you with successful networking.
Be Minty Fresh
Have you ever talked to someone after they’ve had a tuna fish sandwich and raw onions? It’s not pleasant! Brush your teeth. Suck on a mint. Chew gum. Just don’t be that stinky breath dude.
Listen
When you’re in a networking situation it is not all about you. Focus your attention on the speaker and concentrate on what is being said.
Don’t Sell
You know how it drives you crazy when you walk into a store and the clerk immediately jumps on you and tries to sell you on something when you don’t even know what you’re looking for yet? Don’t be like that crazy clerk and start pitching right off the bat.
Ask Questions
Find common ground and see how you can be of value to the person you are talking to. Ask people what they do, who they know, where they’ve been, how can you help them. They may not be in the market for your particular product or service at this time but you may be able to connect them with someone that can help them with what they are looking for and vice versa.
Mingle
It is great catching up with old friends and acquaintances; but if you really want to maximize your result see out someone that you have never met before and introduce yourself.
Be Yourself
People like to do business with people that they like, so be genuine.
Be Prepared
Make sure you have enough business cards for everyone in the room. There is nothing worse than making a great connection and not having a single business card left to give them.
Take Notes
Jot a note on the back of the business card about your conversation. This will make the follow up process much easier!
Follow Up
Send a follow up email, or pick up the phone and call, within 48 hours of meeting. Remind them of where you met, what you discussed and set up a time to have a more in depth conversation of you can be of assistance to them. So many people forget this step. Don’t be that guy!
Connect
Follow them on Twitter and/or Facebook. Send them a request to connect on LinkedIn. You never know what kind of opportunities that you may attract through a networking event!
