Once a Day Marketing: January 2016

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Branding US Eagle Federal Credit Union (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys™, we discussed re-branding one of New Mexico’s oldest federal credit union.

Joining us on the show were Alan Varela VP of Strategic Development & Marketing and Phil Forbert Marketing Manager at US Eagle Federal Credit Union. US Eagle FCU recently completed the roll out of this new name, Alan and Phil are sharing insights into how they achieved a successful re-branding.

Re-branding of US Eagle FCU was undertaken to ensure the credit union was well positioned in the market place with an updated image and recognizable name. The new name is no longer geographically limiting and the eagle icon invokes both emotion and pride when customers see it.

Knowing they wanted a descriptive and distinct name, the project started with various concepts. The team settled on using “eagle” after the icon had been part of their logo for many years. Once the name was confirmed, US Eagle moved into designing the graphics and a new tagline. They chose the bold blue and green colors to stand out from the crowd.

Credit unions are open to most customers, so target marketing is not limited to any particular groups and services are may be offered beyond the borders of New Mexico. US Eagle FCU feels they differentiate through offering friendlier and better customer services to create a sense of community.

To get the message out about the new name, US Eagle FCU used outdoor advertising and radio as well as branch communication and events across their service area. The rollout was planned well in advance and numerous aspects of the customer impact were considered to ensure that the experience was as seamless as possible.

Phil agrees that branding bold is key. He shared that you can’t plan enough; write down all the tasks you can think of and then go over the list and add items that you forget. Alan recommends that you have clear, documented brand guidelines and ensure they are followed consistently by the entire team.

Enjoy the podcast.

Once a Day Marketing™ inspires clients to brand bold. 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, January 25, 2016

How to Hire Experts – Advertising Agency (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are sharing the third installment in a series of discussions all focused on practical advice you can use when you consider hiring experts to assist you with branding and marketing.

Advertising agencies may create your brand identity and marketing collateral, such as brochures, and can also act as your media buyer. They will align products/services with your brand positioning and develop target audiences. Under the marketing umbrella an agency will create your message, design ads and even produce TV commercials and radio spots.

Once you have made the decision to hire an advertising agency there are numerous aspects to consider when selecting the one that is the best fit for your business. Assess the agency’s experience; review their portfolio to ensure you like their work and that the style fits with your expectations. Meet the individuals that are part of the organization. Find out how connected they are in the community and to the media outlets such as local papers, television stations and radio stations.

Other elements to review include the approach they will take to conduct your advertising campaign and the associated costs. Also, confirm the metrics they will provide to measure the success of the advertising campaign. This is a vital element in determining the impact of any advertising.

Ensure you discuss fees. Every agency will be different; they may be project based, hourly or retainer. Lastly, make sure the agency you select has media buying clout. If they are going to represent you to place your ads on television, in print or on the radio you want to know that they have the ability to obtain the most favorable pricing.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

How to Hire Experts – Branding Consultant (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are sharing the second installment in a series of discussions all focused on practical advice you can use when you consider hiring experts to assist you with branding and marketing.

In Part I we reviewed how to assess whether or not your current marketing efforts are effective and if it makes sense to bring in an outside consultant. Once you decide to hire a branding consultant, focus on the following four areas in your evaluation of the individual or company you are interviewing.

First is rapport. Have you established a relationship and get along with this individual or company? You will be working closely with them so it is very important that you work well together. Your branding consultant should be excited about your brand and branding in the future and share that enthusiasm with you.

Second, review examples of the consultants past work and make sure you like their style. Don’t assume that because they are talented they will be able to provide the end product you have in mind.

Next look at their approach and the steps they will take to complete your scope of work. Fourth, call/review references, look at the age of the references and if they are not recent, request more up to date contacts.

Once you engage a consultant clearly define the scope of work. Discuss fees; every company is different, they may bill you on an hourly basis, a project basis or retainer. Decide what will work the best for your budget.

I recommend that you consider a phased implementation. Don’t encompass all the work into one milestone to be delivered at the end of the project. Rather, establish a number of smaller milestones, review and approve one milestone at a time and then move on to the next. Lastly, be very clear on the materials or deliverables the consultant will turn over to you when the work is complete.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Branding Dion's Pizza Restaurants (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Dions Pizza

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 chain.

Joining us on the show was Deena Crawley, Director of Marketing for Dion’s Pizza, an Albuquerque based chain of restaurants with stores in New Mexico and nearby states. The corporate mindset at Dion’s is that of a team of long time employees who are active and passionate about their hobbies.

Dion’s differentiates through their emphasis on mealtime. It is about connecting with those you love and not just great food. Dion’s wants you to stay and enjoy your family and friends for as long as you would like. They created their restaurants with this in mind and still follow the philosophy even while the restaurant trend is loud, noisy spaces with televisions and many activities going on.

When venturing to new states, the Dion’s team learned lessons which they applied to future store openings. They confirmed the importance of shouting about your brand since out of area customers are not familiar it. Marketing tactics include flyers and distributing pizza samples.

The “What’s Your Slice” campaign came out of opening the Lubbock, Texas store. It is a conversations starter and has a double meaning: what kind of pizza do you like and what is your slice of life.

Deena shared that maintaining brand stature and status starts with hiring. Dion’s builds partnerships with schools to enable hiring of high quality staff members. To ensure they deliver on the brand promise, Dion’s spends a great deal of time educating employees about the products and generously feeding them so they are able to understand each menu item.

Deena’s tip to move your brand forward is to first and foremost understand your target customers and what makes your brand compelling for them then crafting messaging to that audience.

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, January 11, 2016

When to Outsource Your Branding and Marketing (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are starting a series of discussions all focused on practical advice you can use when you consider hiring experts to assist you with branding and marketing.

As a Once a Day Marketing™ follower, you understand why branding and marketing are essential to the success of your business. To ensure you are moving in the right direction, evaluate the results of your efforts and determine if you are attaining the desired results.

If you aren’t achieving the results you should be and don’t have the resources or expertise in-house to manage branding and marketing efforts, you may want to consider seeking assistance from an expert.

Here are some questions to consider when determining whether or not you should outsource your branding and marketing:

Do you have a marketing plan in place?
Are you consistently implementing that plan?
Do target customers clearly understand your brand?
Are you satisfied with your creative material (website, ad copy, brochures)?
Are customers responding by calling, buying your product, visiting your website, etc.?

If you are honest in your assessment, then you know if in-house branding and marketing is working or whether you should hire an expert to support your efforts. If you decide to hire outside assistance who should that be? When should you bring them in? What should you have them do?

Watch for more blogs in this series where we will discuss the different type of professional support and provide information to enable you to make more informed decisions regarding the expertise you want to outsource.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Best of Ask Those Branding Guys 2015 (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys™ radio show podcast: Those Branding Guys James Glover and Dave Hayduk

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are bringing you the best of the Ask Those Branding Guys radio show for 2015.

In the studio today, my co-host Dave Hayduk of HK Advertising, and I review guests, tips and advice that we shared in 2015.

Those Branding Guys interviewed guests who are experts in branding and marketing and also those that need advice. Experts shared tips to keep your brand fresh including:

Be true to who you are
Ensure offerings are unique
Represent your product accurately
Provide an outstanding customer experience
Keep content relevant to your target customers
Leverage appropriate marketing channels to distribute your message
Give customers a reason to come back
Employees are a big part of your brand

We hope you use these strategies to drive your business forward in 2016 and make your cash register ring! Tune in to Ask Those Branding Guys in 2016 to for more tips and advice.

Remember to Brand Bold.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Review Your Branding & Marketing for the New Year (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today I want to motivate you to review your branding and marketing for the year ahead.

This season of New Year’s resolutions is a great time to evaluate the branding and marketing efforts for your business and make adjustments as necessary! Use the ideas below to start branding bold in 2016.

Brand and market every day, ensure you have a line item in your budget for both
If your brand is growing stale, incorporate updates to energize your offerings
Know the unique differentiator of your business
Follow the 7Ps of marketing
Create a compelling marketing message and use it consistently
Engage your customers through social media
Build search engine optimization with content appropriate to your business
Review your marketing plan:

- Evaluate 2015 efforts – which channels were the most successful?

- Assess items you did not execute and determine if they should remain in the plan

- Add new actionable strategies & tactics for 2016 – try something you have not done before

Gaining customer loyalty and trust does not happen by accident. Your branding and marketing efforts should ensure messaging reaches your target customers and your brand is #1 in their minds when it is time to make a purchase. Be sure to brand bold in 2016 and provide the best customer experience possible.

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.