Once a Day Marketing: October 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Plan to Brand Bold in 2017 (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing how critical it is to plan your branding strategy and follow through on that plan.

Strategic planning is critical to the success of your organization. There are hundreds of Once a Day Marketing™ blogs sharing advice on a myriad of branding and marketing topics. To kick-start planning, review a selection of topics that are the most meaningful to your business. Then, apply this knowledge to develop branding & marketing strategies and tactics to implement next year and Brand Bold!

There are numerous ways to complete strategic planning; start by considering these questions:

What is the overall brand goal?

Does the current strategy position the brand to achieve this goal?
What tactics have been working for promoting and growing my brand?
Which channels are generating the awareness my business requires in the marketplace?
What hasn't been working? Should I modify or eliminate it?
What is driving bottom line profits?

In the coming year your goal should be to introduce, or improve on, strategy to enhance your brand or the bottom line. Determine if there are new markets you would like to conquer next year as well.

Finally, create a list of tactics/tasks to complete in 2017 to meet the goals & objectives you have defined. Continuously measure how well your marketing and branding efforts are moving your brand toward achieving your goals.

Proactively developing smart strategic solutions for next year is crucial. It establishes a road map to where you want your brand to go and is a means to ensure your team is working in the same direction. A well-defined strategy allows you to have benchmark metrics that may be used in evaluating the results of the plan.

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.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Tock: Revolutionizing Restaurant Experiences

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: TOCK Restaurant Reservation System

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 new innovative restaurant reservation system.

Joining us on-air was Nick Kokonas, restaurateur and creator of the restaurant booking platform Tock. Tock was born out of a need to improve the reservation process at one of Nick’s own restaurants, Alinea in Chicago. He noticed potential guests were at times turned away because all dining slots were reserved when in fact, considering last minute cancellations and no-shows, Alinea could have accommodated additional bookings.

Nick and his team designed Tock to allow patrons to obtain desired bookings for their dining experience in advance, while at the same time enabling restaurants using Tock to plan better for food and staffing requirements. Tock also allows dynamic pricing; restaurants have the flexibility to offer lower price points at off-peak days/hours if they choose.

Differentiators of Tock include allowing pre-payment for various dining experiences, ordinary reservations and elimination of tipping. It is a web-based system that does not force customers to rely on an app. As a result of using Tock, restaurants are providing enhanced customer service; the dining experience is improved by ensuring guests' tables are ready on time. Tock has also dramatically reduced no-show rates.

The food-establishment audience for Tock is broad and includes restaurants with average tickets over $20 and less than 300 seats. Nick likes social media marketing such as Facebook targeted ads and Google ad words and plans to continue giving industry talks to share the mindset behind Tock.

To date, Tock has processed $110 million in bookings in nine countries and 36 cities all through organic growth. Additional venture capital has been obtained and Nick is ready to move Tock out of the Beta phase and start formal marketing.

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, October 24, 2016

Ensure All Marketing Content Includes a Call to Action (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing the importance of knowing and sharing a call to action for your brand.

In the past we have spoken about the importance of good design for everything that reflects your brand including business cards, marketing material and website as well as the components of a great advertisement. Now we are focusing on message, specifically, the call to action.

Simply described, a call to action (CTA) is an instruction to your audience to make an immediate response or reply. Think of the many infomercials you've seen: Operators are standing by. Call now!

Call to action is what you want a customer or potential customer to do when they visit your website, social media sites, or read your marketing material and advertisements. You encourage them to take action now.

Understand what the call to action is in each one of these spaces for your brand and products/services. For example, the CTA in your ads may be to drive traffic to your website. The next step is to ensure that when visitors arrive at your website you are asking them to respond in some way such as featuring a particular product offering with easy ordering.

It is also vital to provide a great experience when you are directing customers to do something and they respond, whether it is in a brick and mortar location, on the phone or online. Review the process a customer will go through as a result of responding to your call to action. Ensure the interaction with your brand will leave a positive impression in their mind even if they don’t make a purchase this time.

Call to action is part of your brand promise; make sure you can fulfill that promise when you create the call to action!

Once a Day Marketing™ inspires clients to brand bold. 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, October 18, 2016

Powering the Brand - SunPower by Positive Energy Solar (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: SunPower by Positive Energy Solar

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 growing Santa Fe solar equipment installer.

Joining us on the show was Regina Wheeler, CEO of SunPower by Positive Energy Solar. Started in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1997, SunPower by Positive Energy Solar is local, employee owned, and the only solar company in New Mexico that is a certified B-Corp. They are the top solar equipment installer in New Mexico with over 1,500 installations for residential, commercial and government buildings.

Migration to renewable energy solutions is increasing exponentially across the country. Due to our abundant sunshine, New Mexico is #2 in the nation for solar resources, making it a great place to harness the power of the sun. SunPower by Positive Energy Solar provides services across the state and is enjoying substantial growth, now with 85 employees.

Customer Experience is a top priority for SunPower by Positive Energy Solar. They ensure everyone at the company understands customer service and how they are each a reflection of the brand. This employee education starts with setting expectations during the hiring process and continues through providing tools to employees to interact with customers in a manner that aligns with the brand.

Young people are drawn to working at SunPower by Positive Energy because of both the meaningful impact on the environment and the B-Corp aspect of the company. With a Brand Bold mindset, Regina treats all employees like owners and ensures transparency and input into company processes.

To create brand awareness and reaches their target markets, SunPower by Positive Energy Solar relies heavily in the internet, about 60% of their business comes in through this channel. Referrals are also a large driver of sales. They also attend and sponsor events and partner with community organizations to further the goals of both groups.

Enjoy the show.