Once a Day Marketing: September 2015

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Branding 5 Star Burgers Restaurant (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Branding 5 Star Burgers

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 marketing with a regional restaurant.

Joining us on the show was Bob Gontram, Owner of 5 Star Burgers restaurant chain. Founded in 2008 they now have six locations in New Mexico and Missouri. 5 Star Burgers has developed a loyal following and was recently recognized for serving the best burger restaurant in Albuquerque by the Albuquerque Journal and ABQ Magazine.

Differentiation of 5 Star Burgers starts with the name, which sets the tone for what customers can expect of the food as well as the service. Bob describes his job as creating a company culture that is going to make employees happy and shared that the awards and accolades 5 Star receives is a direct reflection on the staff.

Gontram firmly believes that it is important for every brand to stay fresh. He recently updated the 5 Star Burgers logo to give it a more high-tech appearance and create visual appeal for Millennials.

That old adage of location, location, location is one of the keys to his restaurant success. Gontram shared that today’s technology makes it very easy to find the right spot as long as you know the demographic attributes of your target customers. This applies to any business, an easy access location where your target customers are is one of the most critical elements in building success.

Bob’s tip for those developing a new brand: Most important is to identify and confirm your definable point of difference, market that factor and put the appropriate advertising budget behind it.

Enjoy the podcast.

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 (MT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Components of Great Ad Copy (Knowledge)

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

The 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
20% focused on the creative elements

First, understand the characteristics of audience you are targeting. Then, craft a message that is relevant and will resonate with them. If you have diverse target groups, create a separate message for each one rather than using one less specific message. When developing the ad ensure the message is aligned to the group you are focused on.

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, September 22, 2015

Albuquerque CVB's Bold New Brand (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Albuquerque's New Brand for the Convention and Visitors Bureau

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 marketing for the City of Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Joining us on the show was Tania Armenta, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer of the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor Bureau. The Albuquerque CVB has recently rolled out a bold new brand positioning “Change Your Perspective” replacing the prior campaign that had run for the past 12 years.

Tania shared that nationwide research was conducted and revealed that travelers desire to see different things and see things differently. This aligns well with ABQs truisms, topography, geography as well as the food, art and culture of the City. Those Branding Guys noted that Albuquerque identified the assets that they have and focused on those attributes when designing the new branding campaign. This is the process that every business should follow.

Research confirmed that the target market of (prudent) boomers is still a strong segment for Albuquerque. An emerging market has also been identified called intrepid travelers; this market is skewed more toward younger males seeking a slightly different travel experience including outdoor recreation, microbreweries and diverse culinary environment.

To reach these target consumers the CVB marketing plan continues the use of traditional media and employs nontraditional marketing tactics such as YouTube video in line with the feel of Change Your Perspective. Advertising is focused in neighboring states, the Pacific Northwest and New York area.

The CVB is working with partners to deliver on the brand promise and ensure that visitors have a positive experience when they chose Albuquerque as their travel destination.

Enjoy the podcast.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Is Social Enterprise Right for Your Brand? (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing the concept of social enterprise and whether or not it is a positioning you should consider for your brand.

A social enterprise is a company or organization that uses common business strategies to drive improvement in the environmental or human services arenas as a primary business or in addition to their core competency. This may include a focus on increasing beneficial social impact rather than the typical profit driver. A Benefit Corp is a good example of a social enterprise although they are not limited to a particular form of business.

There is a growing trend among investors and consumers to seek out socially and environmentally conscious companies with whom to do business. There are approximately 1,395 certified B Corps in 42 countries around the world.

According to bcorporaton.net, compared to other sustainable businesses B Corps are:

68% more likely to donate at least 10% of profits to charity
47% more likely to use on-site renewable energy
55% more likely to cover some health insurance costs for employees
45% more likely to give bonuses to non-executive members

If your company is socially and environmentally conscious or moving in that direction, consider investigating the requirements to become a certified B Corp or other form of social enterprise. If you want to differentiate your brand, this could be a great way to accomplish that goal. Research “social enterprise” or “benefit corporation” for more information.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact Marianne Tenenbaum at (505) 699-7849 or email mten@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Branding a Video Story Teller (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Story Maker Videographer Bobby Levin

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 marketing with a Santa Fe videographer.

Joining us on the show was Bobby Levin, owner of Bobby Levin Video. For the past ten years he has been creating personal videos that capture the life stories of individuals to be preserved for children and grandchildren.

Levin’s biggest challenge is generating business; it is not easy to relate the emotional aspect of creating a video of your loved ones to keep their story alive. Those Branding Guys focused the conversations around reviewing the 7Ps of Branding to determine where there is potential for enhancement.

Levin shared that word of mouth referrals work well for him, he posts portions of the videos he creates on his website to allow potential customers to see the final product. Those Branding Guys suggested that Levin give customers a reason to refer clients. Perhaps he could reach out to customers that have a good experience and provide them with an incentive to refer Levin to family and friends.

Social Media is another tactic that Levin can consider, focusing on younger audiences to gain attention for his services. Glover suggested starting with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Blogging is also an avenue that Levin could pursue. Once created, this inbound marketing mechanism will be available online 24/7/365.

Enjoy the podcast.

Monday, September 14, 2015

How is Your Businesses' CX (Customer Experience) ? (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing the importance of customer experience (commonly referred to as CX) for individuals engaging with your business.

Once a customer arrives at your story or website, the process they go through to make a purchase is the customer experience. It includes everything from how they are greeted upon arrival, ability of the staff or website to assist them in finding the items they would like to purchase, checkout process, their exit and everything in between.

We are all customers of numerous establishments. How often can you say that you had a great experience, perhaps not as frequently as you would like to.

As a business owner, recognize that your staff, whether they engage with customers in-person, on the phone or online, are one of the key ingredients to achieving a great customer experience. Provide training, reminders and rewards to your team to ensure they know the value of their role and keep delivery of that great CX top of mind.

For Example, the City of Farmington, New Mexico recently created a program to reward employees at local merchants who “jolted the journey” of a resident visiting the establishment. Customers participating in the program have Jolt Cards that they hand directly to the employee, providing on the spot recognition of great service. Over time, the program may be expanded to include prizes for employees collected a specified number of cards.

When your employees are educated regarding how they can provide great service and empowered to meet customer needs, they will be a large part of creating that great experience for your customers.