Be a Groupie: Using LinkedIn Groups (Digital Friday/People)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing.  It’s Digital Friday and I hope you have a great weekend planned.  Please take a moment to give me a Like on Facebook, comment, re-tweet or share my blog with your friends and business acquaintances.

Today we are going to look deeper into LinkedIn, the powerful networking tool we’ve discussed previously, focusing specifically on LinkedIn Groups.

LinkedIn provides the opportunity to join groups formed around people with common interests.  I am a member of several branding and marketing groups.  Finding groups is easy, there is a directory on LinkedIn or you can use a key word search.  LinkedIn will also suggest groups that may be of interest to you.

LinkedIn provides a list of all the groups you belong to.  You can follow those groups, see what people are posting and make your own posts.  LinkedIn also allows you to establish your own group, whatever your interest might be, to enable others to share their thoughts with you.

There are numerous benefits of using LinkedIn groups.  First, you have access to like-minded people.  Whatever your interests are, there are others in Linked In with similar interests.  Next, you have access to great content posted on LinkedIn and the ability to choose what you want to watch and read.  You are able to comment and have others acknowledge your comments and reply, generating interaction.

Leveraging Groups will expand your network.  When you encounter someone whose interests align with yours, seek them out through the group.

Additionally, I have found that commenting on a site like LinkedIn enhances your search engine optimization.  Comments are picked up in a Google or Yahoo search.

I recommend you join a few LinkedIn groups.  Follow what the members are talking about, add your own comments and establish yourself as an expert in that field.

Look for Once a Day Marketing’s own group coming soon to LinkedIn.  We will encourage our community to comment and share ideas and inspirations to make small businesses successful.

Thanks for tuning in to Digital Friday.  Join us next week for Smart Monday.  To discuss a one on one online or traditional service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.

Dodging Tumbleweeds and Other Challenges (Recon Thursday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing. Today for Recon Thursday I am going to share a story of a challenge I faced this weekend when I was out running and encountered a few tumbleweeds.

In New Mexico a tumbleweed blowing across your path is a common sight.  However, the other day when I was running in the arroyo I encountered the biggest pile of tumbleweeds I’ve ever seen.  Talk about your mid-run challenge, it was completely blocking my path.  I was still far from the target distance of my run, so I had to decide whether to turn around or determine how to get past those tumbleweeds.

I could have easily used that big wall of tumbleweeds as an excuse to turn around, but I felt compelled to solve the problem.  My reconnaissance was to climb up the side of the bluff and look out past the wall of tumbleweeds where I could see that the arroyo was clear on the other side.  So I navigated the top of the bluff, made my way back down into the arroyo and continued on my way.

Since this was an out and back run, I would have to manage that wall of tumbleweeds again on the return trip.  Knowing they were there, I had already formulated my plan.  I had gained personal experience of how to get around those tumbleweeds so it didn’t impede or impact my return at all, I just skirted right around them.

When challenges arise in your company, and you learn from the experience, it’s going to be easier the next time you have to face that obstacle.  Finding the high ground and assessing the situation relates directly to what we talk about with respect to Recon Thursday.  Whenever you are at an impasse, gather information, ensure you assess what’s around you and adapt accordingly.

That concludes Recon Thursday, stop by tomorrow for Digital Friday. To discuss an online or face-to-face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.

Brand Strategy That Delivers: Part 2 (Action Wednesday/Positioning)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing.  Welcome to Action Wednesday where we will conclude our series with Brand Strategy That Delivers: Part 2.

To reiterate, a positioning statement identifies your target customers and how you want them to perceive your brand in the marketplace.

The following is a template that describes the components of a positioning statement.  Begin thinking about what fits into each area for your company.

(Product/service/company) is the one (frame of reference/industry) that provides (your target audience/customers) with (benefit/point of difference) because (reason to believe) so that (emotional end benefit).

First you identify your product, service or company.  Then describe the frame of reference or industry  you are in.  Define your target customers.  Elaborate on the benefit or points of difference that you bring to your customers and why they should believe in your ability to deliver.  Lastly, add the emotional benefit customer will derive from using your product, service or company.

Now let’s take a look at the current Once a Day Marketing positioning statement.  Remember, we’re a young company and I will be revising this positioning statement over time.

Once A Day Marketing is the one marketing consulting company that leverages digital technology to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses with knowledge, strategy and inspiration to market every day to improve their bottom line.  James Glover, “That Branding Guy,” and founder of Once A Day Marketing has been generating innovative branding and marketing solutions for clients for over 25 years and shares his expertise to enable emerging companies to succeed.

The positioning statement drives branding and marketing for your organization.  Spend time identifying each of the four components identified in Part 1 and add the fifth element: emotional end benefit.  Then develop a concise, accurate statement that describes your company, product or service and craft that into a positioning statement

Based on new things that come into the mix, using your SWOT analysis and the branding activities of your  competition, update the positioning statement as needed.

That concludes Part 2 of our Brand Strategy That Delivers, please join us tomorrow for Recon Thursday.  To discuss an online or face-to-face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.

Brand Strategy That Delivers: Part 1

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and today is Strategic Tuesday.  We are going to continue the Positioning theme and, over the next couple of days, talk about developing your brand strategy, positioning, or positioning statement.

A positioning statement identifies your target customers and provides the compelling image of how you want customers in the marketplace to perceive your brand.  Remember we talked about how beneficial it is to be number one in the minds of your customers?  That is the goal of your positioning statement.

Let’s take a look at Nike.  People often get confused between a positioning statement and a slogan.  In the case of Nike, they use the slogan Just Do It.  That means they don’t care if you’re the fastest miler in the world or the slowest, they just want you to go out and do it, preferably using Nike clothing and equipment.

A positioning statement is extremely important because it is the foundation for virtually everything else you do with respect to your marketing and branding.  It drives your strategy and tactics.  Having a great positioning statement will lead to better results in the future.

There are four components to the positioning statement.  I am going to talk about each one and will use Nike as an example to illustrate the points.

First is target customer.  You can’t be all things to all people so you have to focus.  In the case of Nike, they target athletes, but they want to reach athletes with a discerning taste for high performance sports clothing and equipment.  Customers that will pay a premium for equipment that works.

Frame of reference to identify the industry you are competing in is also required.  Nike is in the athletic clothing/equipment industry.  They may have other thoughts about it, but in my perception of their brand, that is the field that they are in.

Benefit or point of difference also has to be defined.  Identify what will make your product unique in the mind of your customer.  Going back to Nike, they use innovation to develop technologies in clothing, shoes and sports equipment that enhances performance.

Lastly, you have to provide customers with a reason to believe your product will do what you say it will do.  Think about Nike again.  They use professional athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods in their advertising.  They support college football, basketball and baseball teams.  Everywhere you look there is a Nike Swoosh.  They are telling you that if they can make the professional and college athletes play better, they can do the same for you.

Your assignment for Strategic Tuesday is to start thinking about the four components that comprise the positioning statement.  Tomorrow we are going discuss preparing your positioning statement and I’ll use Once a Day Marketing as an example.

That concludes Part 1 of our Brand Strategy That Delivers, please join us tomorrow for Part 2.  To discuss a one on one service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.

Brand Positioning: Being #1 in Your Customer's Mind

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing. Today is Smart Monday, thank you for joining us.  I hope we continue to provide you with ideas and inspiration for marketing your business every day.  We are going to conclude our series on the 7Ps of Marketing with Positioning.

Brand Positioning has two components, physical and psychological.

With regard to the physical component, use the 7Ps, which we’ve talked a lot about here at Once a Day Marketing, to create product benefit appeal to your target customers.  On the psychological side, leverage the 7Ps to create a favorable impression of your brand in the minds of your target customers, which is a slightly different process.

Let me give you an example.  Imagine I produced a workout video that gets you into great shape, and I brand that product Buns of Steel.  It immediately conjures up a certain image in your mind, doesn’t it?  The image of how fit one may become using the video creates a favorable impression and encourages customers to buy the product.

Then imagine I take the same video without changing a single thing in it, and call it Buns of Pudding.  All of a sudden the customer has a very different impression in their mind of what the product benefit is and may not buy the product even though the two videos are exactly the same.

Goals of brand positioning include becoming ranked number one in some dimension of the purchase in the mind of your customer.  Think about that, think about being number one.  Do you remember who came in second at Daytona?  Do you remember who was second in the 100 meters at the Olympics?  Being number one is very important with respect to brand positioning because it locks and impression into the customers mind.

You also want to consider the physical and emotional benefits that you are providing to your customers.  You want them to understand exactly what they are getting, but you want them to understand how they are going to feel with respect to the purchase as well.

Let’s use our Taco Stand example to define brand positioning a little further.  A customer is seeking authentic, fast, inexpensive New Mexican cuisine.  There are many high end restaurants which are authentic however they are not fast or inexpensive.  Conversely, McDonald’s is here in New Mexico.  They are very inexpensive and fast, but lack authentic New Mexican cuisine.  Now, what is the positioning of our taco stand?  Very authentic food that is also very fast and inexpensive.  So, in the mind of customer that taco stand commands a number one position with respect to the client’s criteria.

I’ll be talking a lot more about brand positioning in the future because it’s such an important topic to understand and implement strategy around.

That concludes our Smart Monday.  Please join us tomorrow for Strategic Tuesday.  To discuss a one on one service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.

Inbound Marketing Case Study: Day 75 (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing.  Today is Digital Friday when we talk about such topics as social media and inbound market.  Today I am going to focus on Once a Day Marketing and share our accomplishments now that we are 75 days old.

The purpose of Once a Day Marketing is to share ideas and inspiration designed to motivate business owners to market every single day.  Our goal is to reach people who are actively seeking assistance to improve their businesses through marketing.

We are also creating brand recognition for Once a Day Marketing. 75 days ago no one was aware of our brand and what it stood for.  I am developing networking opportunities and generating dialog with like-mined individuals regarding marketing and branding topics.  Lastly, like any business, generating lead flow and business for the organization is a top priority.  To date, I am extremely pleased with the results of our inbound marketing efforts:

·         1,500 YouTube views

·         Followed in 40 states and 40 countries

·         800+ LinkedIn connections

·         600+ Twitter followers

·         60+ Facebook fans

Likes, shares, re-tweets and comments continue to increase.  That means people are talking about Once a Day Marketing among themselves.

In addition to social media marketing efforts for Once a Day Marketing, we have launched a traditional campaign as well, primarily focused on PR. The combination of traditional and inbound marketing is producing positive results.  When an article is published about Once a Day Marketing, I notice an increase in  video viewership and feedback.

Inbound and traditional marketing are very complementary.  As you move forward with your inbound marketing campaign, I encourage you to pursue the traditional marketing approach along with it.

Thanks for tuning in to Digital Friday.  Join us next week for Smart Monday.  To discuss a one on one service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.

Creating a Customer-Focused Process (Recon Thursday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing. It’s Recon Thursday and we’re going to wrap up our series on the 7Ps Process by looking at the external process of how customers engage your company.

I recommend you start to evaluate your external marketing process by being a customer.  Review the various channels through which customers seek information about your company or buy your product.  Ensure that the process is efficient and enjoyable and all touchpoints along the way generate positive feelings about having engaged your company.

Walk through the physical process and experience the customer has when making a purchase.  Include phone, online, and in person.  Ensure the experience is positive and customer feels good about the transaction.  A good experience will enhance the brand perception in their mind and increase the likelihood of them buying your product or service again.

Polish your customer communication.  Whether it is direct, indirect, social media or inbound marketing, ensure it is creating a desire for customer to do business with you.

Look at follow-up.  Ensure that the customer is happy with their purchase.  If they are not happy with the product, provide a prompt exchange or refund.  Ask for feedback so you can improve your process in the future.  Your goal is to ensure that the customer has a great experience with your company at every opportunity.

Also scrutinize your branding.  Is perception of your brand what you want it to be?  If not, launch a branding campaign to begin aligning the brand image in the mind of your customers with the brand identity that you want them to have.

You may not realize it, but I am molding you into a process engineer, which is a good thing.  Working with process is a key to the success of marketing and branding.  Reviewing and enhancing your internal and external processes enables you to control the direction of your company and supports the marketing and branding efforts in ways that make sense.

Seek out feedback around your processes from your customers and people within your organization.  Leverage that feedback to update and enhance your marketing and branding plans.  Continuously review and refine and then begin another iteration of marketing and branding.

That’s Recon Thursday, be sure to join us tomorrow for Digital Friday.  To discuss a one on one service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.