Once a Day Marketing: September 2016

Monday, September 26, 2016

Great Design Enhances Your Brand (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing how important it is that customer encounters with your brand are visually appealing, send the message you want to convey and provide instant recognition of the brand.

Visual cues about your company and brand are essential for customers to understand your message. The design process begins with a graphic artist who is well versed in what the client’s brand is all about and translating that into great visuals with an emotional impact.

A company’s logo has generally been thought of as an extension of the brand and is often the first visual element customers encounter. Extensive use in the current digital environment, in apps and on small devices, has now made it a key identifier of the brand. Now more than ever it is essential to remember that less is more and focus on creating memorable designs that will draw in the customer.

Common errors businesses make when they are working on design elements is not aligning to what the business does and desiring a graphic that does not tell the appropriate story. Another mistake is developing a logo doesn't scale well when downsized to fit into the space allocated for displaying an app on a smart phone.

Establishing visual prompts for customers reaches beyond logo or advertising designs. The appearance of a store front, signage, etc. should be clear, inviting and informative as well as convey what your business is about. You only get one chance to make that all important first impression.

Leverage the 7Ps of marketing to review where visual cues may require enhancement for your company.

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

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Branding Santa Fe Spirits Distillery (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Santa Fe Spirits

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 of a Santa Fe distillery.

Joining us on the show was Adam Vincent, Marketing Manager of Santa Fe Spirits, the producer of two barrel-aged malt whiskies, a brandy, gin and vodka. They are currently working on plans for expansion, especially warehouse space for storing whiskey as it ages.

Santa Fe Spirits started in Santa Fe on a bit of a whim when the founder bought property with a large number of apple trees. He began production of cider and turned that into a distilling business in 2010. Distilleries are a growing trend across the country with just over 1,000 in the USA. Santa Fe Spirits is anticipating 40-50% growth in 2016.

Santa Fe Spirits differentiates their award-winning business through capturing the essence of the southwest and Santa Fe. For example, mesquite is used to smoke one of their whiskeys and the gin is infused with cactus blossom.

Adam shared that their target audience is very broad and ranges from younger people are interested in a local product to the whiskey snob who enjoys the high end, flavorful product.

The key marketing strategy for Santa Fe Spirits is telling their story. The do this via in-person tastings and traditional advertising as well as social media where glimpses of the distilling process are shared. They have also had success with earned media generated from food and beverage writers as well as tourism Santa Fe. Winning contests and awards has garnered attention from abroad where demand is high.

Branding challenges Santa Fe Spirits is experiencing include gaining mind share for the business. It is more difficult to reach people in-person outside the local market where they don’t have a sales network in place.

Adam shared his branding tip: create your brand story, tell the story and live the story.

Enjoy the show.

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

Monday, September 19, 2016

Is Your Brand Standing Out from the Crowd? (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing the fundamental elements to set your brand apart from the crowd.

Every business has to stand out from their competitors through differentiating products and services, providing a superior customers experience or being an innovator in the area of business; preferably all of the above. We refer to this as "branding bold."

To set your brand apart, consider these 3 Keys concepts:

1. Unique

These are the characteristic that make your product or service special. Perhaps you offer something that is handmade or the only one of its kind in the community. Determine what is special about your product that no one else can claim.

2. Compelling

A product is compelling when there is consumer demand for the attributes it offers or provides. You may make the greatest widget in the world, however, if it doesn’t meet a consumer demand and is not compelling, creating a market for it is very difficult. Consider what makes your brand appealing to customers and why they will care about.

3. Believable

When consumers make a purchase, they trust a brand to live up to claims and that it will deliver on brand promise. Think about why customers trust your offerings, perhaps you have extensive experience or special knowledge.

Once you know what is unique, compelling and believable about your brand ensure you are using these factors to tell your story through your advertising and social media. Every little improvement will go a long way to enhance the stature of your brand and make it stand out from the competition.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Branding N-Hance Wood Renewal (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: N-Hance Wood Renewal 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 and marketing of a Santa Fe home improvement contractor.

Joining us on the show was Charles Schmidt, owner of the N-Hance wood renewal franchise in the Santa Fe market. N-Hance is focused on refinishing cabinet, doors, floors or any other wood surface. The unique differentiator of the company is their process - no dust, no mess no odor.

Charles shared that customers may be confused regarding what wood renewal is all about. Renewal differs from re-finishing in many ways including a unique method that is faster, less expensive and has minimal impact to customers compared to alternative solutions.

In the six years he has owned the franchise Charles has had many learning experiences around branding and marketing. Getting the word out about his brand is an ongoing challenge. You have to judge what will work well in our market. Now that his brand is established, Charles feels like he is ready for growth.

Charles knows who his customer is and has also established the seasonality of his business which ranges widely among the N-Hance markets. This enables him to craft the right message, chose the timing and close sales. Charles uses trade shows, in-store appearances and a van-wrap as well as media advertising to share his message. The Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association show has been very successful in generating leads.

Those Branding Guys think Charles should be branding bold! They encouraged Charles to leverage a new trend and use Facebook Live to share video of before, during and after of the process. This may even encompass testimonials that can be used on the website or blog.

Enjoy the show.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Shaping a Brand's Personality (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing how you can shape the personality of your brand.

When your friends think of you, what comes to mind? Do they see you as friendly, helpful, adventurous, cheerful, trustworthy, engaging? Each trait is part of your personality and something that draws your friends to you.

The same is true of the brands we embrace. They have personalities just like people do. And these characteristics are the things that differentiate one brand in our mind from another.

Apple is innovative and rebellious. Nike is creative and sexy. Google is wise and reliable. Mercedes Benz is elegant and prestigious.

Ask yourself:“What is my brand's personality?” Customers tend to gravitate to brands with personalities similar to their own.

Critique your brand and identify its personalities. Do you like what you see? Is this a brand you would want to associate with? Do potential customers also like your brand personality?

Some personality traits are innate but new ones can emerge if we decide we want a characteristic to be part of us. The same process works for a brand. If desired, and through a strong and consistent effort, you can make your brand more spirited, influential, accomplished or thoughtful.

Have fun shaping your brand personality. Your customers will love you for it.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Top 10 Branding/Marketing Tips (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are sharing the Top 10 branding and marketing activities that all business should be doing to achieve success:

The 7Ps of Marketing – Focus attention on each of these elements. Leverage them to enhance the various aspects of your business and create a better customer experience.
Allocate a Marketing Budget – Resources for marketing and branding should not be an afterthought. All businesses should have a line item in their P&L to create and drive out their message.
Target Marketing Efforts – Don’t try to be all things to all people, identify the consumer segment who is your most likely customer and concentrate efforts on that audience.
The Customer is King – Know all you can about your customers. This will enable you to create specific messaging telling customers how your product makes them better.
Tell Customers Why – Connect with your customers on an emotional level; focus on why your product is important to them rather than what it is about.
Ensure Your Message is Cohesive – Identify the one clear aspect that is unique and defines your brand. Allow that to flow through all marketing and advertising efforts.
Understand the Difference Between Branding, Marketing and Advertising – Know the definitions and how these components work together; execute all the elements.
Capture Mind-Share – Ensure your message is in the market place with enough frequency that customers recall your brand when it’s time to make a purchase.
Use Professional Services – Develop a relationship with a Branding/Advertising professional either internal or external. These experts bring a tremendous amount of experience to the table and will ensure you are sharing the right message and that your social media and other material is polished and professional.
Avoid the #1 Reason Businesses Fail – Most businesses don’t know enough about marketing or don’t market enough. Spend time every day on some aspect of marketing for your business.

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

© 2016 Once a Day Marketing™. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Desert Rocck: Branding the St. Range Band

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Desert Rock band St. Range

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 of a Santa Fe band.

Joining us on the show was Braden Anderson Manager/Drummer for the Santa Fe band St. Range. Their genre is desert rock, a sound that contains elements of surf and garage rock which began in the Palm Springs California area.

Braden shared that a unique differentiator for a band is essential in the music world and is something they think about every day. What sets them apart is adding a different flair to the classic rock sound.

As performers, St. Range has two customers: agents that book them and their fans/followers. To engage their followers, St. Range has a Facebook page, is on Instagram, Twitter and music sites which they update frequently.

To gain attention from record companies, St. Range does an extensive amount of promotion to create awareness and a platform for their music. Another part of their brand is to be professional and arrive at venues and setup early and work hard to put on a great show.

Glover shared that the easier it is to contact the band the easier it is to hire them. Braden knows how important it is to have a strong platform and a good business process, they are essential to connect with agencies that can take the band to another level.

Formerly known as The Strange, St. Range’s branding challenges include a recent name change due to licensing and legal issues. As they updated their brand the new name was chosen to reflect the desert rock genre because it works well with their logo and holds true to the roots of their original name.

Glover suggested the band ensure they provide a memorable moment, or what he calls an "engaging encounter," when performing live so the show is more memorable to the audience.

Enjoy the show.