Writing and Editing to Enhance Your Brand (Action Wednesday/Process)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Writer Editor Anne Maclachlan

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are discussing how the quality of written content you share reflects on your brand.

On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we spoke with Anne Maclachlan, Writer and Editor.  Anne has written material on subjects ranging from maritime to fashion.  She clarifies for us that writing is creating a piece while editing is polishing something that is already developed.

Maclachlan shared that the most important aspect of well written content is never forgetting who you audience is.  Always provide information the customer wants versus what you may find interesting to share with them.  Other tips included choosing one point, keep the narrative brief and invest in a good grammar book.

Glover noted that sloppy writing will reflect negatively on your brand and reminded listeners that the basics are important.  Anne commented that, in general, it is not appropriate to use social media slang in written material, however, in the right context it may be the attention getter you are looking for.

Your action item for today is to review the content of your website, blogs, newsletters and anything else you share with your customers and evaluate relevance to the audience and the quality of the writing.  Consider where you should enhance content to better reflect on your brand.

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

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Differentiating by Being Green (Strategic Tuesday/Positioning)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: The NM Green Chamber of Commerce

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Strategic Tuesday and we are talking about how being Green may set your brand apart.

On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we spoke with Laura Sanchez and Glen Schiffbauer of the New Mexico Green Chambers of Commerce.  The Green Camber was founded in 2009 by a group seeking out like-minded small businesses with an interest in responsible environmental policy.  There are soon to be five chapters within the state.

Sanchez shared that the mission of the Green Chamber is to create business opportunities by advocating for renewable energy and efficiency; strengthen the local economy; and support businesses working towards a sustainable future.  They promote sustainable business practices that are both socially and environmentally responsible.  This focus on people, planet and profits is referred to as the triple bottom line.

For environmentally conscious businesses, the fact that they are Green is a differentiator that could set their brand apart from the competition.  There is a large market of consumers that a Green company will appeal to.

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

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Brand Strategy Versus Advertising (Smart Monday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Smart Monday and we are looking at the difference between developing brand strategy and advertising.

In a recent blog, Mark Ritson stated that brand strategy is no job for an advertising agency.  We tend to agree.

At Once a Day Marketing we spend most of our time developing brand strategy for our clients.  Because we know that a brand is simply everything, it's imperative for our team to have a thorough understanding of virtually every aspect of our client's company including operations, manufacturing, marketing, sales, etc. This knowledge enables us to properly position the brand.

We are also required to understand the client's brand architecture (how brands within the company's portfolio relate to each other), how the customer perceives brand benefits and also how that brand relates to competitors.  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 advertising agency to understand these channels and perfect their flow of communications to cost-effectively reach their targets.

Back to Riston's point, it's very difficult for a brand strategy company to have a great grasp on all aspects of advertising if they are spending all their time in the branding trenches.  The same is true of advertising agencies.  How can they really know branding if their goal is to be the best at delivering client messaging through advertising channels?

This distinction is something to consider as you hire consultants or agencies to develop your brand strategy and advertising in the future.

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

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Blurring the Line Between Marketing and Journalism (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Today is Digital Friday at Once a Day Marketing™ and we are discussing an emerging trend referred to as Native Advertising.

A recent New York Times article describes Native Advertising as an advertisement in the guise of journalism, displaying the same characteristics of the site on which it is found.  This form of advertising is appearing in such publications as Forbes and The Atlantic.  It is also known as sponsored content.

Although generally labeled as advertising, it may garner more attention than an online or traditional advertisement.  We recently read an “article” in Forbes twice before realizing it was sponsored content.  The up side is that a marketer is potentially increasing reach.  The downside is that sites and publications run the risk of alienating their readers.

If you are going to place sponsored content for your business on other sites, the approach you take should enhance awareness but not at the expense of diminishing your brand in the eyes of followers.  Partner with the sites to ensure you don't mislead and it is clear who is authoring the content.

On the reverse side, if you are accepting sponsored content for your site be sure to review it carefully and label it accordingly.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Household Brand Names Fade Slowly (Recon Thursday/Positioning)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Recon Thursday and we are discussing brand stature and how a brand that was a household name for years is making a comeback.

You may recall that last year Hostess, maker of such treats as Twinkies, Ding Dongs and the iconic Wonder Bread, went out of business.  At the time there was an outpouring of public sentiment and a rush to snap up the inventory that remained on store shelves.

According to a recent Associated Press article, Flowers Foods, Inc. purchased five breads brands from Hostess for the sum of $355 million, surely hoping to tap into the nostalgia for the Wonder Bread brand.  The familiar bread along with the three others, returned to store shelves this week.

Flowers’ strategy is likely to prove to be a good one.  Re-launching the brand which stirred customer emotions and captured hearts may be able to lure consumers back to a brand that clearly had excellent name recognition and a large percentage of mindshare.

Brands such as Wonder Bread and Twinkies are so much a part of our culture that they retain their value and mindshare.  Other companies are willing to invest in purchasing them to leverage their mindshare and, as a result, iconic brands are slow to fade away.

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

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Sales Follow-up – Frequent & Consistent (Action Wednesday/Process)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Sales Follow-Up

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are discussing sales and how it is related to branding and top of mind.

As you now know, branding is the process of creating the right image of your product or service in the mind of your customers.  Marketing is the communication of your compelling message that is relevant and will resonate.  Sales is being in the right place at the right time when that customer finally wants to buy a product or service and they chose yours.

In my production days I once received a call from a crew member asking if I had any production job available.  I didn’t have anything at that time but I told him I would call him when I did.  Five minutes later I received a call from a client who hired me to produce a national television commercial.  Five minutes after that another crew member called asking me for a job and you know what, I said "Perfect timing, I need someone for this new production, you’re hired."  Crew member #1 was already out of mind.

Over time I have developed a few sales rules of my own.  First, it’s ok to be persistent with a potential customer within reason.  Next, it’s ok to be even more persistent if you feel they really do want your product or service.  I believe sometimes customers just forget like I did, so you need to remind them.  Lastly, secure a yes or no because a maybe will not move you any closer to closing the deal.

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

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Branding Communities – a New Focus (Strategic Tuesday/Process)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Ask Those Branding Guys Podcasts

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Strategic Tuesday and we are talking about out-of-the-box thinking for community branding efforts.

On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we spoke with Edward Burghard, founder of The Burghard Group and Strengthening Brand America.  During his 33-year marketing career at Procter& Gamble, Ed was recognized as one of the top brand builders in the company.  In the later days of his career he was on full time loan to the state of Ohio to form a company focused on State branding.

With Strengthening Brand America, Burghard’s goal is to improve the level of mastery around place branding by driving discussions with branding experts focusing on how the same techniques that apply to consumer goods also apply to branding a place.  Ed shared there is room for improvement in community branding in the areas of funding, branding expertise and depth of knowledge around what a brand encompasses.

Burghard puts forth the notion that job growth should not be the objective of economic development. Rather, communities should become more focused on their residents (customers) and creating an environment to attract top talent which in turn will attract businesses.

This paradigm shift is predicated on the American Dream Composite Index™ (ADCI).  Developed by Xavier University, the ADCI is the first qualitative measure of how people feel they are doing in terms of attaining the American Dream.  It is a robust measure of American sentiment and predicts behavior and attitudes in multiple arenas including the workplace and the economic marketplace.

New Mexico is in the #2 position as a place to achieve the American Dream.  A great goal for the state would be to seek out the #1 spot by understanding the whys and making improvements.  Any community, large or small, is able to leverage this approach.

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

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.