by Miriam Hara | Jul 15, 2013 | Branding, Business Success, Latest
Brand naming…why it’s important.
More to the point, what is required for a brand to become like the much covet name brands like Coca Cola, Nike and Apple? It seems that brand names explode in the market…and yet, most take years until they become visible and reach the market consciousness. It’s important to state here that the term brand naming refers to products, service businesses and retail stores.
There are many brand naming agencies and writers who boast of their ability of being name generators. However, whether the business that your are seeking to name is a service or a product or even a retail store, the process of naming should not be taken lightly. Once you settle on a name for your business, it’s with you for a very long time. The process of brand naming is often difficult and should at least include some sort of market research.
Brand naming is only the very first, tiny step in developing a brand. Just as a logo isn’t branding… well, becoming a brand sensation doesn’t happen because you just name it. So what do the most popular brands out there do in order to penetrate the market consciousness? Here’s my take:
1) Create a brand definition. A brand name , especially an awesome one, needs to create an emotional connection. This may be in the form of visual tonality, a tagline, a promise. Make sure that brand definition appears or is stated whenever your brand appears…each and every time.
2) Create sensation: Brand needs to ‘be’. It needs to reach far and wide. After all what’s the use having an awesome brand and you’re 1 of 3 people who know about it. If you’re not out there… then you’re winking in the dark. If you are local retail store, then you need to promote locally, sponsor events, create hype with traditional and social media campaigns such as billboard, radio or print.These, of course, are only a few suggestions.
3) Develop a connection…. or rather community: It’s becoming increasingly easier to create brand connections with your audience. Easier doesn’t make it easy or quick but it is doable. It’s important to have a long term view in developing that brand community… it has to be strategic . With the use of a succinct social media plan, your awesome brand can reach your very select target group…and yes, talk to them. Develop connections that transcends the sell cycle…
4) Be awesome! Whether it’s a business, a product or a service, being branded means that you must deliver on its promise. No brand becomes any name brand unless it speaks, acts and delivers on what it says it will.
We all know that overnight successes often takes years to happen and brands are no different. Developing and creating a brand with a brand name that has market equity takes time and strategy. It’s all in the how to create a brand, that makes it a brand name… and that’s why brand naming is important.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 12, 2013 | Administration, Business Success, Latest, Uncategorized
A few years back I took a course on strategic planning for small business. When the floor opened for questions many revolved around building teams. What kind of skills should you look for when building a team, is experience more important than education, are soft skills more important than hard skills, at what point of the project should you bring on a new team member … that type of question.
But the topic I found the most interesting was around how to build a good team. The discussion spiraled on subjects we had previously discussed. Finally in exasperation, one attendee said, “Yes, I understand all that, but how do you build a good team?”
The lecturer paused, looked straight at him and answered, “Build a good team”.
It seemed a simplistic joke but as he went on to explain, it had a great deal of merit. It means that in order to have a successful team you must build a good team.
Still too simplistic? Below is the discussion that followed on how to build a good team.
Wicked Way #1: Know your goals and your objectives
Number one, number one, number one. Always know your goals and objectives. Keep these clear in your mind. Write them on a piece of paper and stick them to your wall in a prominent place. If it’s a project deadline, if it’s gross sales, if it’s a percentage of growth, write it down. Paper remembers, people forget.
Wicked Way #2: Define roles and set expectations
Define the roles that you need in order to meet your goals and objectives. Fill these roles with people who can meet them. When you are interviewing to fill the roles, make it clear what your goals and objectives are and set expectations.
The person you interview may have the best qualifications and a great attitude but if they don’t know what you want and they don’t know whether they can do what you want, you are relying on a wish and a promise, neither one is a position for success.
Wicked Way #3: Provide feedback
Once you have a team, continue to set expectations. Provide feedback. Let the person know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. Always ask yourself and the team, will this activity help move us towards our goals and objectives? If it doesn’t, stop immediately.
Find out what will work. Then move on. And when the work your team member is helping to meet your goals and objectives, acknowledge and reward.
THAT’S IT
There you have it. Simple. Easy peasy.
How to build a good team… build a good team.
by Justin James | Jul 12, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If you read my last blog, you would know that I am not a fan of video ads on YouTube. Not only are they irksome to the viewer, but they may actually hurt the company’s reputation and cause ill will.
Luckily, Google ads allow advertisers to reach their audience through YouTube without disturbing the video viewers. The two preferred alternatives to YouTube commercials are:
Post original content – Creative YouTube Videos
Companies can post as many commercials as they want, as long as they’re on their own channel. For example, Pepsi has a four-minute long commercial with over 130,000 likes and 37 million views! The reason this commercial is so much more successful than other paid commercials on YouTube is (1) because the video is humorous and (2) they invite you to come see it, rather than hunting you down.
The point of using social media is to have people share and discuss things that interest them. Offering a more entertaining option instead of a ‘hard sell’ video on a social site can lead to greater success when people share the video with friends.
The alternative method would be…
Pay for static ads –
To reference my last blog post again, the door-to-door salesman is back, but he hasn’t rung your doorbell. You can see him through the window, sitting outside your house with his big sign and briefcase, but at least he’s not harassing you while you eat. This salesman is still making you feel slightly annoyed, especially when he begins to dance around or tries to make you play a game (gif ads), but at least he’s willing to be courteous enough to let you choose if you want to hear what he has to say.
Alternatively, if you have a static ad, perhaps in a sidebar or underneath the video, it will not directly interfere with the video the viewer is trying to watch. Even a pop-up ad on the video is acceptable, since a viewer can just click the “x” in the top right corner to close it.
Static ads are less engaging than videos with original content. However, they are also less expensive. If the tag lines of the ad are interesting enough, a few people may actually click through and read what you have to say about your product.
If you feel compelled to make YouTube commercials anyways, I will offer some tips in my next blog post on making your video ads as palatable as possible.
by Justin James | Jul 11, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If your company is trying to market in this digital age, you have likely heard of social media marketing. Using social media to reach out and connect to your audience is wonderful —it can turn a boring ad into an amazing interactive experience! Engaging an audience with Facebook and Twitter is something anyone can do, but you need to be careful when trying to sell your product through YouTube —or you might be spending your budget on ineffective infomercials!
Defenders may argue that “YouTube is the second largest search engine. Of course having ads on here would benefit my company!” Although Mr. Advertiser is right to think that YouTube has a lot of marketing potential, he’s is probably using the wrong type of advertising.
Yes, YouTube has more than one billion unique visitors a month. Yes, YouTube reaches more adults ages 18-34 than any cable network. Of course, more than a million advertisers use Google ad platforms. However, if you are trying to reach the young demographic with windy infomercials, you may end up driving them away instead.
Why YouTube Ads are Less Effective Than you Think
Think of how you use YouTube. You’re relaxing in the comfort of your home and need something to do. You don’t want to commit to watching an entire movie, so you log onto YouTube and see that one of your favorite YouTubers has uploaded a new video.
5 minutes! Wow, perfect! You’re excited now—the video’s title promises a cute cat doing funny things! You hover your mouse over the title and click the video and then…
“Hi. I’m Doug from x company, and we want to sell you y.” Your muscles tense as a large man in a suit bombards you with special offers for a product that cleans goldfish bowls. You’re growing impatient now; you want to watch your cat video and not this interrupting salesman.
Once the ad finally finishes, you get to enjoy your cat video. Great! Then you look, in the related searches bar—what’s that!? A dancing bear? You just have to click it, and— No! Why? The exact same ad begins to play again. You’ve already suffered through the salesman’s irrelevant spiel once, and now you are forced to watch it again!
Now, not only have you decided:
1) ‘I want to enjoy my personal time.’
2) ‘I do not care about this product.’
But you’ve also developed another reaction: The company has actually angered you with their intrusive videos and so:
3) ‘I am so annoyed with this company that I am less likely to involve myself with this or other products they carry.’
Sound familiar? So what should your company do?
YouTube is a massive website that reaches billions of viewers. However, YouTube often reaches people during their “Me-Time.” It’s the same concept as door-to-door salesmen knocking on your door at supper time. It’s intrusive and could hurt your company’s chances at gaining customers.
Check back on Hoopla as I reveal how to successfully advertise on YouTube.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 10, 2013 | Administration, Business Success, Latest, Management
Before we start let me be clear on the definition of a leader.
Well then again ….. maybe I can’t be clear.
I can’t be clear because leadership is an art not a science.
It’s not easy to pin down leadership characteristics. Regrettably, there is no magic formula you can follow to turn yourself into the beloved leader who knows how to push all the right buttons.
And to make matters complicated, in today’s matrix environments it isn’t always easy to tell who the leaders are and who are the followers.
Gone are the days when a Supervisor sat in his office and overlooked the floor of busy workers who followed set rules and obeyed orders. That old distinction between a leader and a follower no longer exists.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN A LEADER AND A FOLLOWER
Without those clean marks of distinction it can be rough to distinguish where your responsibilities start and where another’s stop. And when leadership responsibilities are not clear, you may wonder is it your job to lead or does the responsibility belong to someone else?
Sometimes there is no straight-forward answer.
It could be the person leading a team or running a corporation. It could be a Project Manager or Head of a Department. In these situations, it’s easy to tell who is the leader. The title defines the status. But more often than not these people will jump in to assist in some way or another or they bring in others to help with big decisions or challenges.
Then what about when those who are leading a specific part of a project? Sometimes identifying a leader is easy. They lead, direct and interact with others and rely on them to help get the job done.
Who’s the leader now? Is it the Manager driving the project, the Project Manager who is leading the team or the specialist running her end of the show?
Consciously or unconsciously different people are in charge at different times and places. For one reason or another they have the responsibility to lead.
SUPERMAN OF LEADERSHIP DOES NOT EXIST
Today’s’ world is dynamic where challenges are too complex for just one person to handle. The Superman of leadership does not exist. Instead we are faced with the dichotomy of Superman and Clark Kent. On one hand we are saving the world and on the other we are heads down in our work.
In reality, we are both leaders and followers.
WE ALL ANSWER TO SOMEONE
This flexible definition of leadership that changes from one minute to the next may not be crystal clear.
But one thing is clear when we are looking for the definition of a leader and that is we all have a boss.
Whether it is a supervisor, a manager, or a customer. Whether it is shareholders, a Board of Directors or the person who signs your timesheet, we all answer to someone.
And at one time or another we have all been the leader where we lead and direct the outcome of our tasks.
Leadership qualities are fluid. One minute you’re the driver, the next minute you are the passenger.
It’s complex.
Or as Mongomery Burns says when he tries to scoop homer’s brain to turn him into a robot, Dammit Smithers, this is brain surgery, not rocket science.
What qualities do you wish to see in a leader? What don’t you like?
by Justin James | Jul 9, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
As I mentioned in my last blog, I want to be an entrepreneur. I have come to realize that the key to success is letting people know about your business since you need customers to earn money. Marketing is crucial for any business, and is important for me to understand if I want to run a successful business. To market effectively, I need a good marketing process.
At 3H, a lot of hard work goes into marketing. There are countless hours spent on the creative process, content and design, and linking all of the elements together effectively. For that reason, I believe one could call 3H’s marketing process 3D.
The “Three Dimensions” of the Marketing Process
The first dimension is the creative process. In only a couple of days, I’ve learned that a lot of time, inside and outside of the office, is spent on conceptualizing ideas. In this process, their team conjures the foundations for websites, advertisements, and strategic targeting of demographics and what appeals to them. This creative edge is what makes 3H stand above other marketing and branding agencies, since creativity is an essential part of connecting with an audience and capturing their attention.
The second dimension is where creativity meets reality. In the content and design phase, the company’s talented artists, writers, and web developers capture their creative ideas in a tangible, unique way. While I find the creative dimension enjoyable, it is this second dimension that makes me feel most satisfied as ideas come to life in ads, promotions or websites.
The third dimension is turning well-conceived efforts into effective efforts. This third phase links the content and ideas to the desired audience through blogs, social media, and introductory promotions. It is in this phase that 3H reaches out to the clients’ targeted demographics to build familiarity and trust with their potential buyers through online and offline tactics.
On social media platforms, like Facebook and twitter, 3H effectively uses content to engage their readers and spark their interests. The third dimension is the difference between reading well-written content on a website and feeling a personal connection with the company as they build trust, good will and confidence.
During my internship, I hope to learn more about the processes 3H utilizes in order to create the effective content they produce. I’m excited to have an opportunity to work with several new programs, including Google tools, Photoshop, and possibly Dreamweaver!
Even if I don’t become a marketer, understanding the need for effective marketing and the process behind creating good content is critical. I know that if I can learn these three dimensions, any future business I have will be more successful. Understanding how intricate the marketing process is makes me realize that it can be done most effectively by specialists in marketing. As most successful entrepreneurs know, it is best to stick with your core competencies and have other experts handle the accounting, marketing, shipping or other tasks, so you can do what you do best – and get the customers you need.
