Once a Day Marketing: Knowledge

Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2016

Tips to Make Your Brand Shine in Media Interviews (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are sharing eight tips to assist your brand to look and sound great in media interviews.

In past blogs we have spoken about ways to earn media coverage for your company. The following tips will help your brand to shine in planned TV, radio and print media interviews that may result from your press releases and other new worthy distributions/events.

Media Interview Tips:

Prepare for the interview, know what you want the audience to know/learn about your brand
Provide short, on-point responses to all questions
Stay on message
Remember you are on show at all times during the interview
Ensure everything you say during the interview is appropriate for the media
Follow camera direction from the interviewer
Maintain eye contact with the interviewer or the camera
Be positive at all times, regardless of how the interview is progressing

Next time you have a media interview, remember these tips to make your brand look great!

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.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Ask Good Questions to Improve Your Brand (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are focusing on how asking good questions may improve your brand.

From a branding and marketing perspective, many businesses continue doing what they always do because it is requires less effort and may have worked well in the past. To keep the brand and marketing approach fresh, every business owner should formulate good, thoughtful questions about the performance of their brand. These may be difficult to answer, however, may yield interesting information.

Start with the most foundational elements of your brand:

Are sales meeting our expectations? If not, why?
What is the profile of our ideal customer?
What is the profile of our actual customer base?
Do our products meet the needs of our customers?
Does our marketing target the right customer segment(s)?
Is our marketing message relevant and resonating with our market?
Are we distributing our marketing message via the most impactful channels?
Do we have opportunities to move into new markets?

If you are able to answer questions like these about your business, use the data to update your business and marketing plans to drive growth.

If you are not able to readily answer this type of question, take a step back and consider how you can measure the most relevant attributes so you are able to assess the status of your brand.

The better the questions you ask and answer about your business, the more you enhance your ability to make informed decisions that will drive your branding and marketing forward.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Branding vs. Advertising Defined (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing the difference between branding strategy and advertising for your company.

At Once a Day Marketing we focus on creating bold branding strategy for our clients. We know that a brand is simply everything; it resides in the mind of customers based on the experiences and impressions associated with a brand; and can be influenced but not controlled. Brand strategy begins with identifying the essence of a company and developing a brand that is true to this nature.

To create a successful brand it's imperative for our team to have a thorough understanding of virtually every aspect of a client's company including operations, manufacturing, marketing, sales, etc. This knowledge enables us to achieve an authentic brand position that is unique, compelling and believable.

A company’s brand architecture (how brands within the company's portfolio relate to each other), customer perceptions regarding brand benefits and how that brand relates to competitors are all vital aspects to consider. We assess positioning, brand promise, functional and emotional benefits, etc. This work is then used to create compelling messaging that will be relevant and resonate with target customers.

Advertising is the process of sharing this messaging through the marketing ecosystem of traditional and social media channels. With the myriad of ways consumers are now exposed to marketing messaging it's a full time job for an advertiser or advertising agency to understand these channels and design cost-effective campaigns to reach a target audience.

It may be very difficult for an advertising agency to have a full grasp on all aspects of branding if their primary business is creation and placement of your marketing message. When you are ready to build a new brand or update an existing brand, be sure that you work with a branding expert who understands the nuances of branding and will provide you with the research, analysis and guidance you need for a successful positioning and branding strategy. This becomes the foundation for the development and implementation of a successful advertising plan.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Don't Let Customers See Your Slip Show (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing how integral your staff is to providing a great customer experience.

Part of a strong branding is ensuring that your customers have a great experience. Many businesses underestimate how critical staff is to delivering that outstanding customer experience.

Every employee of your company is a Brand Ambassador. It is a common misconception that only the external sales force or people working directly with customers are the ones impacting the brand. The reality is that everyone in your company is a reflection of your brand.

In addition to being neat, knowledgeable and friendly, ensure your team understands that they are part of the brand and any behavior a customer can observe is a direct reflection on the brand. This includes smoking in front of your establishment, loud/disruptive behavior, personal conversations, conducting non-work business and even unprofessional activities when they are not working if they can be associated with your business.

To reduce the impact of staff “off-duty” demeanor on customers, make sure there is a smoking area and break room available where your team can be out of sight of customers. Instruct your staff that as long as they are wearing the business logo, driving the company truck or can otherwise be linked with the brand they should be on their best behavior.

Informal and formal brand ambassador training for your staff will enhance the person to person interactions throughout your organization and create a better experience for your customers, thereby elevating the overall stature of your brand in the marketplace.

Monday, February 22, 2016

A Brand is Like an Elevator (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, Branding Strategist, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are sharing an example that illustrates how your brand resides in the mind of your customers.

We have shared many blogs regrading brand identity, brand image, how a brand resides in the mind of your customer and is comprised of simply everything. Here is a great example of just how quickly a customer’s perception of a brand can change.

Last week I was very much looking forward to dinner in a restaurant I had visited before and had enjoyed a fabulous meal and a great customer experience.

On my second visit I ordered something completely different, anticipating I would be wowed by a wonderful entrée. Imagine my dismay when the dish arrived with chicken tepid, vegetables too hard and potatoes with excess garlic. The brand of the restaurant in my mind was on the express elevator to the basement. I was thinking I would never come back here again!

I decided to be bold and offered my waiter construction feedback. He was clearly well versed in how entrees were prepared and explained the kitchen’s methodology. While not making my meal any better, I understood why this meal was so dramatically different from my first experience. Perhaps future diners would benefit from my input. Brand slide to basement is averted.

Following the conversation with the waiter, the restaurant manager arrived at the table. He had been told of my feedback and there was no need to repeat any information. He encouraged me to give the restaurant another try and offered a discount card for my next visit.

The caring response by both the waiter and the manager turned my perception of the brand around. While not back to the stature gained after my initial experience, the restaurant brand is back on neutral ground and I will visit again with an open mind.

Your brand has positive and negative encounters with customers every day; you are aware of the ones customers bring to your attention, however, your staff should be trained to pick up on customers that are not having a good experience and do what they can to improve it and maintain brand stature in the mind of your customers.

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.

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, November 2, 2015

Understanding Customer Loyalty (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are sharing our model to categorize the loyalty of your customers.

There are numerous, very technical ways to zero in on the buying behavior and characteristics of your customers; some leverage demographics, others use psychographics. We like a high level view to assess customer loyalty.

Once a Day Marketing™ has developed a simple model with Five different categories of customers; Undecided, Never-Nevers, Blue Mooners, Zombies and Brand Lovers.

Undecided- the vast majority of consumers in the market place who would potentially buy your product but don't know anything about your brand
Never-Nevers – consumers who will never be attracted your brand regardless of your marketing efforts because they are loyal to another brand or can’t afford your product. Don’t spend precious resources trying to attract this consumer.
B lue Mooners - customers who have tried your product out of convenience rather than having an interest in a specific brand
Zombies- very good customers who habitually gravitate to your product but aren’t loyal. As soon as they discover competitor product attributes that are more interesting or beneficial they will seek out the alternative brand
Brand Lovers - the customers who will literally go out of their way to use your product because it provides them with an experience they absolutely love

Here are some tactics you can apply to influence each group toward your brand. Share more information with the Undecideds. One approach may be more traditional or social media marketing to put your message on their radar and generate enough interest for them to try your product.

Blue Mooners have tried your brand once, so the strategic question is how to motivate them to try it again. Zombies are already habitually using your product; however, they are not loyal so the challenge is to persuade to have an affinity for your product.

Brand Lovers are sacred to your business and are probably driving most of your revenue. Your goal is to provide them with more reasons to love your product and recommend it to their peers.

Monday, August 31, 2015

Is Your Brand Held in High Regard? (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are looking at an essential component of brand stature.

The Y&R Brand Asset Model addresses brand stature and brand strength, two critical components of a Power Brand. (I recommend you take a moment to study more about the Y&R Brand Asset Model.)

Esteem is the key component of a power brand that assess whether or not the brand is held in high regard by customers and/or potential customers; the higher the esteem, the greater the Brand's stature. Like personal reputation, the more positive the brand reputation the better it is liked or even loved by customers. This is the emotional side of branding.

The second component of brand stature is knowledge. Are consumers knowledgeable about your product? Are you enabling them to truly understand what your brand is all about and what it stands for?

To determine brand stature you don’t necessarily have to go through the steps that Y&R did. You do want to consider the esteem multiplied by the knowledge; the higher the score the higher your brand stature.

A good target goal would be to have high esteem and perhaps lower customer knowledge about your product. From a marketing perspective, you can always build that knowledge. Alternately, if customers have a lot of knowledge about your product but don’t hold your product in high regard then you have a different marketing challenge. You will have to help them understand why there should be a greater appreciation for your product or service.

It is important to understand brand stature so you can focus your marketing message to enhance the weaker component: esteem or customer knowledge. If anyone of those areas is low, strengthen that component to strengthen your brand equity.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Social Media Branding Tips (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are talking about branding and harnessing the power of social media.

Social media channels are an inexpensive ways to reach your target customers. 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. Social media is here to stay and is becoming widely used for customer service and customer care.

A business who would like to begin using social media should create a plan that includes a profile of target customers and identifies who will manage the campaign. It is important to determine the tone of the material that you will share along with the timing of distribution for your message, consistent distribution of content is essential. You also should have a measurement plan in place to monitor results by channel to see which ones are most successful.

The visual aspect is the most important element of social media and businesses should use high quality images. When it comes to content, share something that customers would not necessarily see in your place of business, perhaps a story of employee recognition accompanied by a photo or other behind the scenes information.

It is also appropriate to share other information customers will be interested in that is not necessarily about your company. Here is your opportunity to create a personality for you and your business beyond normal business activities.

Always take the time to thank customers for positive comments and respond to and resolve any negative posts.

We strongly recommend that users new to social media build a following by sharing the story of their brand rather than jumping into a social media campaign that has any call to action.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Inbound Marketing Explained (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are taking a look at inbound marketing is and why it is important for your business.

Inbound Marketing is a permission-based marketing strategy that enables potential customers to find your company at their convenience.

Advertising content is created and distributed using the power of social media digital channels to attract customers who are interested in your products and services. The premise is that potential customers intrigued by your offering will find your message and follow it back to your website, 800 number or store to obtain more information and ultimately make a purchase.

My company Once a Day Marketing™ has produced over 500 video blogs featuring content with branding and marketing advice shared via social media channels. We have followers in over 170 countries viewing, reading, liking, commenting and sharing our blogs.

This is inbound marketing. These posts create a life of their own and continue to generate brand awareness and interest 24/7/365 all over the world.

Inbound marketing should be a major part of your branding efforts. To learn more about inbound marketing, click on the link to watch my Once a Day Marketing™ video: Inbound Marketing is Like Fly Fishing

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Are Your Marketing Results Measuring Up? (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Marianne Tenenbaum, contributing blogger to Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are looking at measuring results of your marketing campaigns.

A popular maxim in process improvement says you can’t improve what you don’t measure. This applies to marketing efforts as well. How are you determining the success of your marketing campaigns? Do you judge results by how you feel? Are you looking at sales improvement or something else?

If you aren’t measuring results with meaningful data you may not have sufficient insight into how campaigns and channels are performing compared to expectations. As you are developing your next advertising campaign, establish goals for a few simple statistics such as response rate, increase in traffic, number of items sold or gross sales that make sense for your business/product.

When the campaign launches, ensure there is a process in place to gather results. Begin reviewing the performance of the advertising at the close of the campaign and compare that data to the goals you established.

As you continue to measure, you will accumulate fact based information that will enable you to direct your marketing to leverage the strategies that are driving the best results.

Learn more about establishing your goals. Watch our Once a Day Marketing video: SMART Goals

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The Best of "Ask Those Branding Guys" 2014

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: The Best of Ask Those Branding Guys 2014

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we looked back at the best of our 2014 branding guests.

What a great year. Over 40 Ask Those Branding Guys episodes featuring a wide array of brands on the couch discussing all aspects of branding and marketing to help your cash register ring.

If you missed a broadcast, you can find all our podcasts on SantaFe.com.

Have a great holiday season and enjoy the show.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Shaping Your Brands Personality (Knowledge)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are looking at your brand's personality.

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 like your brand personality as well.

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.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Selecting a Professional Media Producer (Knowledge)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Selecting a Media Producer

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing how vital professionally produced media is to your brand.

Media is an essential tool to promote your brand and products. Using video increased SEO over sites with text only and 52% of consumers feel watching a product video makes them more comfortable about their buying decision. When it is time to create the video about your company and brand, invest in professional media production to ensure you are telling the right message and meeting the needs of your customers in a crisp and polished video production.

There are two main areas of expertise in creating video; media producers and media production companies. The media producer is the person who provides creative input as well as management of productions and other professionals. Media production companies are sometimes just that. They know how to capture images and edit, however, they may not have the creative capabilities you require. I believe having a first rate media producer is the most important element to a successful video.

Qualifications to review when you are considering a media production company include their general production skills; they should be very familiar with cameras, capturing images and ensuring they provide the kind of shots you are looking for. The professional you select should also be very competent in audio production as well.

Next is graphics and animation, these are powerful tools that will enhance the production value of a video or media production. Validate that the company you want to work with has a good graphic eye, knows animation and how to make images appear on the screen as you expect them to look.

Editing is another important element. The media expert should be able to take the footage they shoot and turn it into a compelling story that has a beginning, middle and end regardless of the length.

Lastly, they should be comfortable working across various platforms. Not only should the media professional know traditional video production; they should understand what it takes to run video successfully ona smart phone, computer, tablet, video wall, kiosk or any of the other environments where media is used today.

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 11am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.