Once a Day Marketing: June 2014

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Artistic Component of Community Branding (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Community Branding with EFG Creative

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we discussed the artistic side of community branding.

Joining us on the show were Eric Garcia and Darren Higgs of EFG Creative, an advertising and design firm in Albuquerque. Their unique proposition is expertise in the area of creating signature works of large scale art to enhance the brand of communities. EFG Creative is currently working on a large public art project for the Village of Los Lunas that will become the gateway to the community.

EFG Creative believes design is an integral part of the brand because of how strong visual appeal can be in setting the tone for any product, service or community. One of the advertising channels they like to use is mobile marketing, leveraging wraps for vehicles.

A challenge EFG Creative encounters is difficulty in moving clients out of their comfort zone to try new and inventive approaches.

Branding tips EFG Creative offers:

· When launching a new venture, ensure you analyze the competitive landscape to ensure there is an audience for your product/service

· Be willing to take a risk when you want to launch something new

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

Monday, June 23, 2014

The Secret for Creating a Great Ad (Knowledge)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: What Makes a Good Ad

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are looking at the keys to creating a great print advertisement.

The first guideline is the 40/40/20 Rule and it’s very straight forward. 40% of the ad should be about your target audience, 40% describing the offer and the remaining 20% focused on the creative elements.

Start by understanding your target audience then craft a message that is relevant and will resonate with them. When you are developing the ad ensure it is targeting the right potential customers and your message is aligned to that group.

Next is the offer. Provide an offer customers will care about and respond to. Design a promotion that will inspire potential customers' interest in purchasing your product and contains a call to action.

The last component is the design of the ad. One of the 7Ps of Marketing is physical evidence; your ad has to look good as well as contain the other core elements. When all of these items come together, you should have an ad that will drive traffic and benefit your business.

As you are producing your next ad, keep 40/40/20 in mind. Don't get caught in the trap of going straight to design. The process is to target the right audience with a compelling message and then make it look great.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Branding a Santa Fe Spice Shop (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Kate Wheeler and Savory Spice Shop

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we discussed branding a spice shop here in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Joining us on the show was Kate Wheeler, owner of the Savory Spice Shop. Kate is a trained chef who has worked internationally and went to work for Savory Spice Shop when she returned to the US 10 years ago. As she moved through management at the company, she realized her goal was to own her own shop and launched that dream a year ago.

Kate shared that Savory Spice Shop has many unique attributes which appeal to customers. Spice blends are ground fresh; small quantities are available; customers are able to not only smell but actually taste the spices and prices are lower than grocery store products. In addition to spices, Kate offers a Spices 101 class for novices along with a variety of other classes.

During her first year in business, Kate notes that the segmented market here in Santa Fe has been a branding challenge. Social media does not work well and it takes more effort to reach the various groups of target customers. Kate believes face to face contact is important as is being part of the local community.

The most effective advertising channel for Kate has been print media, customers respond well to ads that include a free product offering to visit the shop. Savory Spice Shop also promotes in partnership with other organizations and participates in local events.

That Branding Guy noted that Kate is using a great strategy to enable customers to make a purchase they otherwise may not. The Santa Fe location of Savory Spice Shop offers free shipping within New Mexico. This is one less barrier for a customer who is visiting and may not want to carry a purchase with them.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Happy with Your Brand Identity? (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are taking a quick look at your brand identity and asking whether or not you should think about changing it.

Brand identity is how you want to be perceived in the market by your customers. It's comprised of such things at the attributes of your product or service and the benefits you provide to those customers.

Are you happy with your current brand identity? Is this exactly what you want your brand to be known for? If so, keep up the good work and continue to reinforce this identity by offering a great product, customer service and sharing positive communications about your brand.

If your brand identity is not exactly what you want, you can change it. Take a look at the 7Ps of Marketing and shore up your offering. If you want your brand to be a lot different then you need to add more appealing attributes that will reshape how customers think of your brand.

Remember you have to deliver on your brand promise so it takes more than just telling your customers your brand is now different. You have to make real, meaningful changes that they can perceive and experience.

The good news is should you want to change your brand you can. Keep in mind if you are not happy with your brand identity chances are neither are your customers.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Branding Tips from a Social Media Navigator (Knowledge)

Listen to our featured Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Social Media Navigator Wendy Forbes at Wendy92 LLC

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we discussed branding and harnessing the power of social media.

Joining us on the show was social media navigator Wendy Forbes of Wendy92 LLC. Wendy is one of the best social media content drivers in New Mexico. She brands herself as a Social Media Navigator because it more accurately describes the services she provides to her clients – assisting them to navigate the quickly evolving social media environment.

Wendy shared that social media is an inexpensive channel to reach your target customers. A business beginning to use social media should create a plan that includes a customer profile, identifies who will manage the campaign, the tone of what will be shared as well as when. It is essential to have a measurement plan in place and be consistent in distributing content.

Many businesses hesitate to jump into social media for a variety of reasons. There is a “fear factor” which may be the result of misunderstanding or believing it is a fad. Wendy assured listeners that social media his here to stay and is now becoming widely used for customer service and customer care. Wendy’s tips: Take the time to thank customers for positive comments and share information they will be interested in, not necessarily about your company.

When it comes to pitfall, Wendy identified jumping directly into a campaign is something she see frequently. She strongly recommends that users new to social media build a following by sharing the story of their brand.

Wendy went on to say that the visual aspect is the most important element of social media and businesses should use high quality photos. When it comes to content; share something with customers that they would not necessarily see in your place of business. You might share a story of employee recognition accompanied by a photo or other behind the scenes information.

Enjoy the show.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Getting Customers to Share Brand Moments Via Social Media (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are looking at a way to enhance your brand and business by empowering your followers to share their customer moments through User Generated Content.

In previous Once a Day Marketing blogs we've discussed the growth of smart phones with cameras, the popularity of "selfies," and how positive visual cues favorably impact a brand. Leading brands are using these trends to create more reach and engagement by enabling clientele to post photos and videos highlighting positive customer moments. This approach is called User Generated Content or UGC.

For example, Bon Appetit is encouraging followers to use Instagram and Twitter #roastboast to share pictures of their favorite meat roasts. Bon Appetit is using these posts to inspire future recipe ideas in their magazine and feature the top content on the Bon Appetit website.

What a great strategy for both the brand and its patrons. Bon Appetit receives innovate roast ideas from followers, along with user generated content they can post on their website. If selected, customers get global recognition from this gourmet publication.

UGC is here to stay and will continue to grow in the future. UGC gets followers actively engaged with your brand and creates strong endorsements that will drive more fans, reach and engagement.

What can you do to encourage followers to share customer moments through user generated content? UGC is something to think seriously about. I'm Jim Glover, that branding guy for Once a Day Marketing and be sure to brand strong in 2014.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Branding a Property Management Firm (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Kokopelli Property Management in Santa Fe

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we discussed branding for a property management company.

Joining us in the studio were Ryan Goodman CMO of Kokopelli Property Management along with Ben Porter, Web/Marketing Specialist. Kokopelli manages both long term and vacation rentals in Santa Fe, Taos and Angel Fire and their mission is to provide a memorable vacation experience in Northern New Mexico and, at the same time, protect the homeowner’s investment.

Kokopelli differentiates themselves from the competition through vertical integration. By centralizing repair and other services they are able to provide the most cost effective solutions to their customers. Since they also own 100% of the process, Kokopelli is able to ensure their employees are brand ambassadors and provide a great customer experience in all facets of their operations.

Ryan and Ben shared that SEO, Ad Words and Facebook are an integral part of their social media campaign to gain awareness for the brand. Those Branding Guys suggested that Kokopelli may want to consider piggy-backing on New Mexico Tourism ads such as NM True by reposting them to their own site.

Ben noted that staying on top of the rapidly changing technology environment and the sheer number of sites the company might be reviewed or rated on are among Kokopelli’s branding challenges.

Ryan and Ben also provided tips for the listeners. First, ensure your branding message is consistent both in the content and the delivery channel. Constantly switching channels will confuse your customers. They encouraged marketing managers to leverage the amazing data and tools that are available such as social media statistics and dedicated phone numbers. These will assist to identify which advertising channels are working best and enable you to determine where to allocate resources.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. a Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Reaching That Next Customer (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today I am going to discuss the topic of reaching that next customer.

If you are like me it's hard to determine exactly how a potential new customer discovers your brand and decides to engage your product or service. Sometimes I can pinpoint specifically where leads originate; other times I can't.

The branding goals are to make sure potential customers have a clear understanding of your brand and the benefits it provides, and also think of the brand when it's time to make a purchase. This is often referred to as recognition and recall.

There are many places potential customers learn about my brand. As you know I blog often and have a radio show, Ask Those Branding Guys. I am an active networker and keynote speaker; I also lead branding seminars.

Most importantly I try to exceed the expectations of my clients by delivering superior branding and marketing strategies and backing that up with strong customer service. From this I find that my existing customers refer new business opportunities to me.

Given that it's difficult to always determine where you'll find your next customer, work hard on offering a great product or service and making sure you share that message in as many places as you can give the resources you have available.