Five Attributes of Product Differentiation</h1> <article> <h1>Five Attributes of Product Differentiation</h1> <p>Nit Sujatanond — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:43 GMT</p> <p>This article explores the five attributes of product differentiation: product, price, accessibility, service and experience. Product differentiation is a method used to make your offering appear more appealing to a specific target market. The process of differentiation can be used to make a distinction between your products and your competitors’ products, as well as between your own products. </p> <p>Typically, businesses differentiated their offering based on five attributes: product, price, accessibility, service and experience. The desired end result of product differentiation is to influence consumer perception. The following includes some product differentiation examples: </p> <p><b>1. Product</b> </p> <p>Differentiating by product means that you are using your product features as your competitive edge. You want to not only tell your target market that you can deliver what they want or need, but you also want to appear superior to the competition. Therefore, when applying this process of differentiation, put the most emphasis on the product features your target market values and point out what you can provide that your competitors cannot. </p> <p><b>2. Price</b> </p> <p>Price differentiation can work in two ways. It can apply when you offer a cheaper rate than the competition. This strategy works because shoppers like to save money. It is often used by discount furniture stores and used car dealerships. On the contrary, price differentiation can also be used to market high ticket or “prestige” offerings, like luxury cars and high-end salons. Because it is human nature to perceive the more expensive of two options as being of higher quality, many businesses are able to charge higher prices on products or services that are fundamentally the same as the competition’s. </p> <p><b>3. Accessibility</b> </p> <p>Differentiating your business based on accessibility is ideal if your business has multiple locations, long hours of operations, 24-hour customer support or other benefits that makes it more convenient for your customers to reach or do business with you. When using this attribute as your competitive advantage, you want to focus on convenience, availability and promptness. </p> <p><b>4. Service</b> </p> <p>Service differentiation is a great way to create an additional benefit when your offerings are very similar to your competitors’ offerings. For instance, if you own a store that sells wholesale electronics, your competitors probably sell the same brands you sell and within the same price ranges. As a result, you have little or no competitive edge. The process of differentiating by service allows you to enhance appeal by adding a valuable service that your competitor may not offer, like free delivery or free installation. </p> <p><b>5. Experience</b> </p> <p>Like service differentiation, experience differentiation pertains to intangible benefits. With this strategy, your goal is to consistently provide your customers with a great experience. You pretty much want to pamper them to a degree. Experience differentiation can include anything from employing a courteous staff goes above and beyond to make the customer happy to presenting a knowledgeable customer support team that is available at all times. The experience attribute requires that you meet and exceed customer expectations. </p> <p>Although the above product differentiation examples may seem clear cut, today’s competitive market is not as precise. Most products and services available in the market are extremely similar if not identical. Patents only last for a limited amount of time, so consumers can usually choose from numerous brands offering the same things. They can even purchase replicas, making it easy for them to achieve the “prestige” factor without splurging. As a result, many businesses promote more than one attribute.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Building Brand Image</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:34 GMT</p> <p>One of your most important roles as a business owner or marketeer is to help your business develop a strong, positive brand image. To achieve the brand image you desire, you must produce a convincing positioning strategy and deliver a consistent brand message. Below are a few basic steps to help you mold your audience perception and achieve your desired brand image.</p> <p><strong>Developing a Positioning Strategy</strong><br />The first step to creating your brand image is to develop a strong positioning strategy. This strategy will be used to differentiate your business in the minds of your target market. In order to influence your target market, you must evaluate your offering and know which of your attributes are most attractive. Most businesses choose from five attributes: product, price, accessibility, service and experience. To begin your evaluation, try answering the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>Who are my target customers and what attributes do they value most?</li> <li>What attributes do I offer?</li> <li>Which of my attributes are better than my competition's?</li> <li>Why are they better?<br /></li> </ul> <p>Use the answers to these questions to identify an appropriate positioning strategy for your specific business.</p> <p><strong>Building Brand Image</strong> <br />Generate a brand message that will showcase your competitive advantage once you have finalized your positioning strategy. This message should evoke the desired brand image.</p> <p>A great way to determine whether or not your message reflects the desired brand image is to test it on members of your target market prior to the release of any promotional materials. Although it is ideal to use a randomly selected focus group representative of your target market, a test group comprised of unbiased friends, customers and other volunteers can be a money-saving alternative for those with smaller budgets. Your audience's responses can help you identify weaknesses in both your positioning strategy and brand message. In addition, you will better understand your target's expectations and current perception of your brand.</p> <p>Your brand image is a determinant of your business's success. For that reason, when developing a positioning strategy, be overly cautious and think long-term. The strategy and message you choose should be applied to your entire promotional campaign. Consistency will eliminate audience confusion, which will then help strengthen your brand image. Remember, it is much harder to repair negative brand image than it is to create a strong one from the start.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Living Your Brand; Interview with Chris Sciarra, Owner of Konasports</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:23:03 GMT</p> <p><strong>Introduce yourself and tell us about Konasports.</strong></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.konasports.com">Konasports</a> was started in 1969 by my father Mike Sciarra, and has been a well established store for almost 40 years. He started the business making surfboards in his father’s garage in Wildwood, NJ. It has since grown into a retail store and about five years ago we decided to expand our business by taking it online. We launched an ecommerce website giving more exposure and accessibility to our product line. We used an ecommerce package from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com">Network Solutions</a>® for our shopping cart and it has enabled us to really get the Konasports name out to a larger audience and make our products more accessible to our customers. <br /> <br /> <strong>What are the brand values on which Konasports was founded and how are they still reflected in your day-to-day business activities?</strong> <br /> <br /> Konasports was built on two main values - family ties and the surfing lifestyle. My father grew up on a surfboard and will still hit the waves to this day. Surfing is still a big part of what we do. I surf, my brother surfs and a large number of our employees surf. Our business practices reflect the surfing lifestyle by taking each day as it comes, planning and practicing for every big “break”, and perfecting our business to run smoothly and with style. Staying close to our roots has helped us grow our business to what it is today. We are proud of our family business and we make that known, everyone we interact with, partners, vendors, and customers become part of our extended our family. <br /> <strong><br /> How have you expanded your product line and/or market reach? What growth have you seen with each expansion?</strong></p> <p>Konasports has expanded rapidly thanks to our online business. You can say it has really put us on the map. It helped us grow the business, earn respect within the industry, and has enabled us to become the elite surf shop on the East coast. Since we entered this new sales channel, Konasports is receiving the recognition it deserves. Within the past year we have partnered up with some big names in the industry: Billabong®, Volcom®, and Hurley® to name a few. These partnerships have not only helped to grow our reputation they’ve also allowed us to open up additional marketing avenues online. <br /> <br /> <strong>Are there products you choose not to carry or partnerships you did not pursue because they don’t support your brand? </strong></p> <p>Yes, we want to partner with vendors who will go out on a limb and help us, just like a family member would. We have partnered with some great vendors who have helped us tremendously in this growing process. Unfortunately, we have decided to eliminate some vendors who did not fit it with our family or work well with our brand values. In this industry it’s a two way street we need cooperation from the vendors as well as they need cooperation from us. <br /> <br /> <strong>How have you been able to keep your brand relevant for 40 years? What has helped you to stay in tune with your niche market?</strong></p> <p>From the beginning until today, my father, Mike and longtime manager, Tony have always treated customers like they were family. My mother, who has worked along side my dad for 30 years has helped to stay focused on our key values and has always served as the backbone of the business. Customer service has always been a key component to our success. Without the time, energy, and dedication to our customers, we would not be here today. <br /> <br /> We have been able to stay in tune with our market by living the surfing lifestyle and knowing what kids today want. It is all about buying stuff that is cool and that is hot. We find out about hot trends by every year attending industry trade shows and researching the newest and hottest products. We rely heavily on the reps from the vendors to help us buy the best stuff that kids want. This is why the relationships we have with our partners and vendor are so important to us. <br /> <strong><br /> What would you recommend as key tools, processes, or policies that help build a loyal customer base? </strong></p> <p>I would advise that it takes hard work to build and retain a loyal customer base. Our family has worked hard to build Konasports into the best it can be. We have serviced our customer base by listening to feedback from our customers. We’ve improved customer service, added new product lines, and began reaching out to customers through new channels. We have watched the trends and have grown our business in a way that strengthens our brand by embracing technology that makes it easy to do business with us and keep up with the latest news in the industry. As I mentioned before we’ve added ecommerce capabilities, but we’ve also branched out by maintaining a blog, engaging in social media networks, and distributing a newsletter. We’re even soliciting direct feedback through a poll on our <a target="_blank" href="http://www.konasportsdotcom.blogspot.com">Konasports Blog</a> to see what features our customers would like to see improved on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.konasports.com">Konasports.com</a>.<br /> <br /> <strong>What is your marketing approach for Konasports? Do your campaigns use an overall brand message; do you focus on specific products, what’s your marketing strategy?</strong></p> <p>Our marketing strategy is to buy the latest and greatest products from the top brands in our industry and deliver on the needs of our customers. By focusing on top brands we position Konasports to be perceived as one of these top brands recognized by our customers and shoppers. We highlight these brands on our website, create promotions around specific merchandise, and feature some of the different brands we offer in our social media outlets. For example, Konasports is holding a contest in July via Twitter where participants have a chance to win a pair of Bearpaw™ Boots.<br /> <br /> We continue to promote Konasports using a mix marketing avenues including affiliates, coupons, SEO optimization, press releases, radio ads, and newsletters. And of course we maintain a strong web presence through our robust online store in addition to our well known retail location.<br /> <br /> <strong>Have you involved yourself in social media channels?</strong></p> <p>If so, how has it affected your business and brand? Yes, we now work closely with social media channels like Twitter™, YouTube™, FaceBook™ and MySpace™. These avenues have helped us virally market Konasports and spread promotions that we are running very quickly. It has been a big part of our marketing strategy and demonstrates to our customers that we are a forward thinking company and will hang out in the places they hang out.<br /> <br /> <strong>What aspects of running Konasports do you enjoy the most?</strong></p> <p>I love the challenges that each day brings. When you are an owner of a business you tend to look at things a lot differently. You always want to do better and the work is endless but that is what makes it so fun. My goal everyday is being the best we can be and if we do not put the effort forward we will not reach that feat. This is the message I proclaim to my employees everyday. <br /> <br /> <strong>What tips would you share with others trying to build their brand and grow their business?</strong></p> <p>Any specific advice for those businesses selling online? I would say it takes hard work and a lot of passion to build a strong and recognizable brand. You need to be passionate about what you do and not be afraid to make mistakes. Learning from my mistakes has helped shape the business we have created today. If you do your homework and closely study your business you will be on your way to success. But along the way do not expect anything to come easy. My motto is “If you are passionate about your work and its lifestyle, the rest will fall in place”. </p> <p> </p> <p>If you would like to contact Chris Sciarra or read his professional bio, please go to: <a href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/chriskona34/">http://www.mysolutionspot.com/chriskona34/</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Creating a Blog with Wordpress</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:58:42 GMT</p> <p><strong>Create a Blog with nsHosting™ for WordPress®</strong><br /> <br /> Today it seems nearly everyone has a blog – and it’s easy to see why. A blog is an ideal communications vehicle, whether it is for personal or professional use. Business blogging, in fact, has reinvented the way business owners build and maintain customer relationships. When businesses stop talking to their customers and start talking with them, they have a unique opportunity to truly put a finger on the pulse of their industry. <br /> <br /> If you want to create a personal blog or one for your business, you’ll need to give careful consideration to the blogging platform you choose. With <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-hosting/wordpress/index.jsp" target="_blank">nsHosting™ for WordPress®</a>, you can enjoy a comprehensive package of blogging essentials powered by the leading blogging platform.<br /> <br /> This all-in-one package is designed to give you the tools you need to create a blog that gets people talking, including:<br /> <br /> <strong>Quick Publishing</strong><br /> Don’t have time to create a blog? See how hassle-free it can be with the WordPress® publishing platform. Even users with little technical skill can build a blog in minutes with the WordPress® simple interface.<br /> <br /> <strong>Design Themes</strong><br /> A blog should reflect the personality of the individual or business it represents. No matter what the nature of your business or personal interests, you’re sure to find the right “face” for your blog among thousands of WordPress® themes at your fingertips. You may even build your own template given that it uses a WordPress® theme format.<br /> <br /> <strong>Free Domain Name</strong><br /> You can give your blog a unique address on the Web – at no extra cost with an annual purchase! Give careful thought to the domain you choose, as it will impact the image you convey online.<br /> <br /> <strong>Personalized Email</strong><br /> When you use a free email account for business purposes, you risk appearing less than professional. A personalized email matches your domain name and, therefore, boosts your brand. Your email address will also include 10 email boxes.<br /> <strong><br /> Hosting Space & Bandwidth</strong><br /> Pictures, video and podcasts are common components of a blog, yet they can result in a negative user experience if server space is lacking. nsHosting™ for WordPress® includes 50 GB of disk space to accommodate your storage needs. In addition, 500GB of monthly bandwidth keeps your blog’s interactive elements running smoothly.<br /> <strong><br /> Regular Reporting</strong><br /> Once your blog is up and running, you’ll want to know how visitors are interacting with it. Statistics and reporting can help you pinpoint your blog’s strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary adjustments. <br /> <br /> When it’s time for your voice to be heard, nsHosting™ for WordPress® provides the complete package you need to make a strong statement.<br /> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Advice and Tools for Building Your Brand; an Interview with Anthony Pappas</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:04 GMT</p> <p><strong>Introduce yourself and tell us about the Pappas Group. </strong></p> <p>As the founder of the <a href="http://www.pappasgroup.com" target="_blank">Pappas Group</a>, I’m proud to say we are one of the Washington region's leading branding and interactive design consultancy. I’m the president and executive creative director. Most recently we have led rebranding initiatives for Blackboard Inc., Discovery Education, Honest Tea, Washington Kastles™, and Washington.org. Prior to establishing the Pappas Group in 2003, I was vice president and executive creative director of Proxicom's Brand & Experience Group where I developed and executed creative strategy and interactive marketing/design. One of my newest ventures is a column in the Washington Business Journal, Branding - the Bottom Line, where I discuss how your brand can have a huge impact on the bottom line.</p> <p><strong>Based on your experience, what makes a strong brand?</strong></p> <p>Understand what your customers want and deliver upon that need consistently. Remember you are in business for yourself, but really you are in business for your customers. Pay attention to them and learn their habits and behaviors if you want to be successful.</p> <p>Your brand should stand for something. Remember, not every brand is for everyone. Put a stake in the ground; decide what you are going to do and why you are going to be in business. The people who need and want your product or service are the ones that will become your customers.</p> <p><strong>What specific advice do you have for people just starting out with a new business and trying to define their brand?</strong></p> <p>Learn about your customers, but don’t forget about your competitors. It is critical to know your competition, especially if your potential customers are already familiar with your competitors. When you’re building your brand determine what you want to stand for and build it. Show your customers that you believe in something and that it sets you apart from the competition. Demonstrate what makes you special and different than others playing in your space. For example, if you are selling jewelry you are not going to design all kinds of jewelry, you will need to refine and define yourself – maybe it’s with antique jewelry, maybe it’s made of sea glass, or maybe it has a specific cultural influence. Regardless of the type of jewelry you choose to sell, you will draw a targeted customer base and identify yourself as unique from the competition.</p> <p>When I founded the <a href="http://www.pappasgroup.com" target="_blank">Pappas Group</a>, I researched branding agencies in the DC metro area to gain an understanding of who my competition would be and what I could do differently that would truly set my agency apart. What I found was a gap in service offerings, at the time, there were no agencies in the area that were using a strategic approach to developing brands; they were all specialty implementation shops. This gave me an opportunity to show what the Pappas Group would stand for – a complete end to end brand solution from strategy through implementation. By doing this research we were able to claim our niche and develop a successful brand for the Pappas Group.</p> <p><strong>What specific advice do you have for people who are trying to reinvent their brand and business?</strong></p> <p>For business owners who are thinking of reinventing their brand, it’s important to take a step back and ask why am I doing this? Is it because the industry is changing? Is it because your services are no longer relevant? Or is it because your image is tired and has lost momentum? What ever the case, be honest with yourself. Look at your business objectively, and admit the true issue is that is causing you to want to rebrand your business. Typically, the issue you think is the problem is really only a symptom of a larger problem. This will help you identify if you need to rebrand or if you need to reinvent. When you rebrand you establish new positioning for the company, when you decide to reinvent you create a new way of doing business, and a new way of thinking that will permeate through everything you do. </p> <p><strong>What are some effective tools that you find useful when cultivating a brand?</strong></p> <p>Take a minute to ask yourself these 4 questions. Your answers should address impacts to your brand, not necessarily your company.</p> <ol> <li><strong>What do you want the brand to be?</strong> The answer to this question should never change over the years. For example, Disney’s brand is about making people happy, and they’ve kept that their focus for the past 86 years.</li> <li><strong>What do you want the brand to do?</strong> The answer to this question can and should change over time. Determine goals for your business, for example you may start off by wanting the brand to showcase you as a provider of a specific product or service, after you’ve demonstrated this you may want to show that you are a forward thinking company and focus on innovation.</li> <li><strong>What do you want people who interact with your brand to feel?</strong> Do you want your customers to feel safe? Cool and hip? Entitled? Empowered? Write down your answers, these will end up serving as the rules for your brand.</li> <li><strong>What do you want people to say about your company?</strong> When a customer is describing their relationship or experience with your company what do you want them to say? What are the words you hope they’ll use or the stories they’ll share with friends. Do you want them to discuss how you were friendly, easy to work with, open and honest, and delivered on time? </li> </ol> <p>If you write out these statements it will help your brand to become more concrete. When you have formalized your brand and have rules to follow it can influence and help drive decisions across your business. </p> <p><strong>What is a positioning statement, and what is the importance of developing one?</strong></p> <p>Simply stated, your positioning statement is everything. It outlines how you want to be perceived by your target audience and why they should choose you over a competitor. Just remember, honesty is key when you are developing your positioning statement.</p> <p><strong>How can a small business owner build brand loyalty? Can you recommend some tools to encourage brand loyalty from customers?</strong></p> <p>The way you build brand loyalty is by being honest, authentic, responsive and effective. Authenticity is crucial to survive in this day and age where information is so easily accessible. Customers can quickly run comparisons against your competitors, get recommendations and reviews, and can uncover and broadcast any indiscretions or lies your may be hiding. Being responsive and effective are reflective of the times. People expect things fast. You need to keep up with trends, deliver and respond quickly to their changing needs needs.</p> <p><strong>How can I protect my brand in the exposed world of social media?</strong></p> <p>You can’t. Social media is a channel not a thing and to be honest it’s now a major part of how things work and every day lives. As I mentioned before, be authentic about who you are then you have nothing to hide. If you are faking ratings and comments about your restaurant people will find out. Stop worrying about protecting your brand and just deliver quality products and services on time and everything will fall into place.</p> <p><strong>When should small business owners consider branding individual products in addition to the brand of their company?</strong></p> <p>Different strategies work for different companies. What I see more often is people brand their company to match the product they are selling. For example, if you sell zip lines and you name your company Zip Lines Inc. then you really don’t have much room to grow. What I’d advise when you are creating your brand is to dream big. Is it possible you’ll want to expand your business and grow your product suite with parachutes, hang gliders, and other types of airborne equipment? If so, think about how you will name and position yourself. Use those four questions I shared earlier in the interview to define what makes the most sense for your business. Really think about how you want to be known.</p> <p><strong>During tough economic times many companies turn their message to focus on value and price, what impacts can this have on the over all brand, if any?</strong></p> <p>Tricky question, relevance is important to answer this. Price cutting can have a long term effect and could potentially surface some uncomfortable questions from your customer base. They may wonder why you haven’t lowered your prices before or why your markup is so high. Take a look at companies like Niemen Marcus® or Porsche®, cutting prices is simply not an option for them if they wish to retain their brand image. These brands stand for prestige and luxury. With this in mind, a price cut would completely diminish these brands, leaving them empty and their customers searching for a true differentiator. My advice to small business owners, find other ways to thrive in this economy, for example don’t drop prices, but be flexible with payment plans, or create a referral program to help boost sales. </p> <p><strong>Any last tips or advice you’d like to share about building a strong brand?</strong></p> <p>Just because you may be small doesn’t mean you can’t build a great brand. Learn from the big ones out there. Let them make the mistakes and then follow the good stuff. Good luck with your brand objectives!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Building a Strong Brand</h1> <p>Bonnie Williams — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:24:45 GMT</p> <p><strong>Building a Brand</strong></p> <p>Regardless if you’ve been in business for years or are just getting started, building a brand for your company is critical for your business success. When we think of a brand the first thing that comes to mind for many of us are large, well known companies like Target®, Starbucks® or Home Depot®. These companies have done very well at cultivating their brand, and although you may not be a huge operation like one of these, there is still a lot you can learn and apply to your own businesses by gaining a better understanding of these brands.<br /> <br /> So what is a brand?A brand is more than just your logo, company name or tagline. Simply put, a brand is a promise - a collection of perceptions in the mind of the customer that must be delivered upon consistently. A brand is different than a product or service; it is intangible and delicate. Just like a reputation you need to guard your brand carefully and listen closely to what others are saying so you can begin to influence their thoughts.<br /> <br /> The logos of a strong brand can elicit an emotional response. For example, when you think of Target the image of a red and white bull’s-eye most likely comes to mind. Not only that, but you probably think of clean and friendly stores, shopping convenience, and helpful customer service. You’ll also notice that your experience at different Target stores will be consistent. This isn’t just by chance. Companies spend a lot of time and effort assuring that the customer experience will be consistent across stores, sales channels and within the marketing plan. <br /> <br /> To begin building a strong brand you’ll first need to identify your brand characteristics and values. These are guiding principles for your company. Think of the adjectives, attributes, or emotions that you want your customers to say or think of when they mention your company or share a recommendation with a friend. Make sure these guiding principles align with your mission and goals. By taking the time to define your core brand characteristics you will be able to build a stronger business identity. For example, many people associate Home Depot with empowerment and helpfulness. Starbucks customers loyally return for more coffee because of the feeling of luxury and the high standards of service. After you have your core brand values determined, only then can you think about what your brand should visually look like.<br /> <br /> Your brand is the foundation for your business including operations, service, and products and of course, all marketing activities. Bringing your brand to life means embodying the brand in everything you do. The brand should be reflected whenever you talk to a customer or develop new products. If you are truly living your brand you’ll see your core brand values reflected in the way you attack problems, work with vendors and suppliers and even how you choose to communicate to any employees within your company. How can you be sure your brand is reflected in everything you do? Continually think about your customers. Always ask yourself, will my customers view this interaction as a reflection of my core values? Regardless if it is a support phone call, a purchase experience, or a simple interaction with an employee, every interaction will influence a customer’s perception of your brand. <br /> <br /> We mentioned that consistency is important when refining your brand perceptions. Here are a few tools to help guide your brand.<br /> <br /> <strong>Customer Personas</strong><br /> This tool will help you to understand your audience. If you take the time to really get to know your base of potential buyers you’ll be able to narrow down your audience (if necessary) and find the niche that suits your business. Pragmatic Marketing1 recommends a few steps towards building out your buyer personas.</p> <ul> <li>Read everything they read. This includes magazines, blogs, and YouTube® videos, anything relevant to your target audience.</li> <li>Attend seminars and monitor conference topics.</li> <li>Talk with sales people, suppliers and vendors.</li> <li>Gain information by talking with customers who have and have not purchased your product or service.</li> <li>Capture data through your website. For example, how did they find your website, through a Google® search or a link on a partner site?</li> <li>Conduct interviews formally or casually.</li> </ul> <p>The bottom line - get to know your audience inside and out. Understand their needs, wants, and frustrations along with their habits, likes, and dislikes. Learn how they digest information, gain insight into preferred communication vehicles, and most importantly listen to what they say. Your core values, and thus your brand, should align with the behaviors and expectations of your customers.<br /> <br /> <strong>Style Guide</strong><br /> A style guide is helpful in delivering consistency across your brand. It is a handbook that can be distributed through the company and even shared with vendors or contractors who are doing design work for you. Included in your style guide are guidelines for color, logo, and typography usage. You can include copy guidelines and legal requirements as well. It may seem like extra work but choosing specific colors and fonts and ensuring that those assets are used across all customer facing materials can make a difference in the level of professionalism and output of your creative elements. Additionally, if you decide to hire someone to create or update a website, flyers, or other brochure ware you’ll ensure a consistent look and feel across your marketing materials. <br /> <br /> <strong>Elevator Pitch</strong><br /> This is one of the most essential elements of your brand – your elevator pitch. Also referred to as a cocktail party pitch, this tool is your 10-30 second brief on your company. We’ve all been there; someone asks you what you do or what your company does and then you are presented with an opportunity to make a lasting impression on a potential customer. You need to convey who you are, what you do, and why you do it, all within a sentence or two. It’s best to have this prepared, practiced and refined for different audiences. This is your opportunity to shine while talking about your business. If there are multiple people in your office take the time to discuss your elevator pitches with each other. The more consistent they are the better – remember every interaction with any of your employees is a chance to influence prospective buyers. <br /> <br /> Now that we have taken a deeper look into what a brand is and how to develop it, here are some tools to help influence your brand. It is important to remember that your brand isn’t just about your company it’s about your customers and the relationship you have with them. Engage your customers in your brand marketing.</p> <ul> <li>Use testimonials and customer success stories in your marketing materials.</li> <li>Collect feedback from your customers and directly address questions, concerns, and thank them for any praise.</li> <li>Leverage a variety of marketing channels, including forums or a blog. Invite your customers to join in a conversation.</li> <li>Talk about your customers, not yourself or your company, in marketing communications; address their needs and share solutions for their problems.</li> </ul> <p>It’s important to remember a brand is more than a name. It's the entire essence of your business -- who you are, what you stand for, and how you back up your promises. Your brand lives in the perceptions of your customers and you and others can influence that perception.<br /> <br /> Reference: 1Effective Product Marketing, Pragmatic Marketing® 2008.<br /> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Meet Lewis Howes - Explaining the Power of Networking</h1> <p>Nit Sujatanond — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:28:55 GMT</p> <p>Recently, I met Lewis Howes at a local professional networking event he hosted. Lewis is the founder of SportsNetworker.com, a business built around social networking. His thorough knowledge and successful application of online professional networking make him a great example for other small business owners.<br /><br />Check out my interview with Lewis Howes below:<br /><br /><i>1. Obviously, you have experience with both online networking and live networking. What do you feel are the main benefits of each?</i><br /><br /><b>Online Networking Benefits: </b> Being online allows you to build your personal brand and reach a broader audience and from all over the world. LinkedIn is a great tool to achieve this because there are 30 million people with profiles on the site, including a number of major executives from every industry.<br /><b> <br />Live Networking Benefits: </b> It is one thing to connect with someone online or over the phone, but it seals the deal when you can meet with them eye to eye. Every city I travel to I try to host an intimate gathering to bring my online network together and see how we can help each other. This has proven to build greater trust with my online connections while generating real world business opportunities. <br /><br /><i>2. You are writing a book about the power of using LinkedIn. How did you become so actively involved with LinkedIn?</i><br /><br />I broke my wrist during an Arena Football game and ended up having surgery. I had to stay in a full arm cast for six months during my recovery, so I joined LinkedIn and started reaching out and seeing how I could help others. All I tried to do was offer a hand (the good one obviously) ha ha, and see if I could offer advice, or make introductions for people. I started to call the people I connected with to ask them compelling questions about their work experience, and what led them to achieve their success. The more I did for others, the more opportunities came my way. <br /><br /><i>3. How have you used online professional networking to build your own business/brand?</i><br /><br />I would say that 90% of the opportunities I have received in the past year are due to my online network. I have built my personal brand by creating my own website to offer useful content and opportunities to my growing database. I offer consultation and show other individuals or companies how to achieve their professional goals while on LinkedIn. Through online networking I have been booked for speaking engagements, been flown around the country for charity events, and I have hosted my own live networking events. All of these factors have built my personal brand and business.<br /><br /><i>4. Has professional networking played a large role in establishing your business/brand visibility?</i><br /><br />I have not spent any marketing or advertising dollars on establishing my brand/business. Everything has grown organically through the power of my online presence and building my network. Because LinkedIn and other social networking sites are free to join, this allows me to expand my visibility to a global community without spending any up front cost. My business is based on the amount of people I connect with, so professional networking is where most of my business comes from. <br /><br /><i>5. Why do you think small business owners/entrepreneurs should participate in online networking?</i><br /><br />I think all businesses should participate in online networking. I started out with zero products/services/experience to offer and now I have a direct network of nearly 20,000 people within niche-related markets. What if a company could add 20,000 people to their network who were related to their industry? Those would be powerful leads to promote products and services. Building your online network is free -- this is especially important during our current economy when marketing budgets are being cut. <br /><br /><i>6. Aside from LinkedIn, what online networking tools have you used?</i><br /><br />I try to have a profile set up in all of the top social networking sites. It is important to have control over what is being sent out under my name. Primarily I use LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. They all serve different purposes and reach various individuals. In my mind they are all important for any company or individual who is building their personal brand. <br /><br /><i>7. If you could give only one advice to all small business owners/entrepreneurs, what would it be?</i><br /><br />Read my book when it comes out. In all honesty, it takes time to develop a powerful network. The more you become a useful resource for others the more people will begin to know, like, and trust you. Once this happens, it is up to you to create the opportunities you are looking for. Become actively involved; persist patiently; and become concise, compelling, and value-driven.<br /><br />If you would like to find out how to contact Lewis or read his professional bio, please go to: <a href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/LewisHowes/">http://www.mysolutionspot.com/LewisHowes/</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Social Networking & Destinations</h1> <p>Deborah Garry — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:27:05 GMT</p> <p>Recently, I attended the Governor’s Tourism Conference at Bolton Landing on Lake George. Besides enjoying the beautiful setting, we had the pleasure of seeing the revitalized I Love New York campaign unveiled, including clever adaptations of the traditional icon to convey all the offerings available in New York state: from skiing and rock climbing to dance, theatre, golf, history, and agritourism. To see for yourself, go to www.iloveny.com.<br /><br />One of my favorite presentations during the three-day event was the session on Social Networks & Viral Marketing. The creativity and ingenuity displayed by the presenters impressed and delighted. This presentation, and others, stressed the importance of building partnerships when marketing a destination or event. <br /><br />Probably the most important lesson is that you are NEVER just marketing a destination or event. You are marketing an experience of value that a traveler can find nowhere else. <br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">How to turn a destination or event into an experience people will come back for.</span> <br /><br />Often, key ingredients for success are the partnerships you form and the social networks you tap into. A case in point: the “Grapehound” Wine Tour on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. <br /><br />This very successful event sprang from an unlikely partnership between Cayuga Lake wineries and the local Greyhound Rescue organization. For four days in late July, greyhound lovers from all over America are welcomed at sixteen different beautiful wineries in the Finger Lakes region of New York to enjoy time with their hounds, taste some delicious food and wines, and celebrate all that these beautiful dogs have brought to our lives. Why does it work? <br /><br />First: flexibility and creative collaboration. The Cayuga Lake wineries were willing to team up with the Greyhound Rescue Organization and generate a partnership that might appear unlikely on the surface but offered an element of intrigue. The wineries hoped to build a relationship with a new, loyal (and returning) market by developing a four-day weekend package for people and their dogs. The rescue organization was able to spread their message to more people, and celebrate greyhound adoption as a cause. Support from local hotels, restaurants, and vendors were critical in building the event package. Hotels agreed to waive “no pet” policies and any pet surcharges in exchange for full bookings. <br /><br />Second: leveraging an existing social network. The wineries envisioned that people who like dogs and rescue greyhounds are also good prospects for wine tours. And, they are the perfect example of a social networking group – a group of people who are very connected, have an existing communications network in place, talk to each other frequently, have web sites, and network with one another at multiple annual events.<br /><br />Good partnerships like this expand market reach, increase profitability, leverage value, and offer tremendous opportunity for those willing to think outside the box.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The Grapehound Lesson.</span></p> <ul> <li>Be open to disparate ideas and seemingly unlikely partners.</li> <li>Leverage Face Time - connect in person. Explain to a prospective partner the value inherent in a proposed partnership.</li> <li>Bring emotion into the package. People really love their dogs. The Cayuga Wineries, and local hotels, vendors, and eateries that bought into the event, learned that if you treat people and their dogs really well, they’ll treat you well. And come back next year for more.</li> <li>Say “Yes.” Hotels that would not waive their “no pets” regulations or surcharges lost out on increased bookings, increased revenue, and higher profits. </li> </ul> <p><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Another Case Study in Innovation: “Winter Recess” in Ithaca.</span><br /><br />Ithaca wanted to increase visitation and tourism revenue during their winter months. Ithaca is still beautiful in the midst of winter, but COLD. What could they do?<br /><br />The Ithaca tourism team went through a critical thought process. They wanted to figure out how to turn their winter landscape into an advantage. They asked themselves:<br /> <br />• What are our winter assets?<br />• Who is the best audience for these assets?<br />• What is the emotional appeal for that audience?<br /><br />As they thought about viable audiences they hit upon teachers - a group of people all on vacation the same week in February. Since Ithaca has an education base, at first they considered offering teachers an event that centered on opportunities for education, study, classes, etc. A few teacher friends quickly set them straight. No, No, NO. The last thing teachers want in February is anything that remotely resembles school. What teachers want in February is relaxation, refreshment, and rejuvenation.<br /><br />So, the Ithaca team put together:</p> <ul> <li>The Package: incentives on lodging, spas, food, shopping, etc. to offer VALUE and appealing events to provide QUALITY.</li> <li>The Emotional Appeal: teachers’ desire for a getaway providing fun, relaxation, and rejuvenation.</li> <li>The “Unique Selling Proposition”: nation’s first communitywide “festival” for educators.</li> <li>The Event: a network of local partners and buy-ins creating a critical masse of offerings across a ten-day event. They didn’t have to invent anything – only harness strengths the community already had into an experience that provided value and quality to their audience.</li> <li>The Promotion Channel: leveraging their audience. Teachers are a sizeable affluent audience, well connected, and accustomed to networking and sharing information with one another.</li> <li>Implementation: A “VIT” Pass giving access to incentives and program</li> <li>Tactics: market through the educational social network:</li> <li>emails, phone, and faxes to individuals found through associations, educator sites, etc., turned up by searching on Google.</li> <li>post cards.</li> <li>e-invites.</li> <li>dedicated web site.</li> <li>The organizers mined the educational social network like crazy. Teachers emailed other teachers, or other associations. Bloggers found them...all this contributed to some wonderful viral PR.</li> </ul> <p><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The “Winter Recess” Lesson.</span><br /> <br />Take a fresh look at your destination, event, or place of business. This is a good exercise for any business in any industry. What assets already exist within who you are that could support a social niche or market segment? Remember - look beyond the obvious. Focus on your strengths in a new way.<br /><br />Choose an audience for whom your strengths could offer Value and Quality. Stand in the customer’s shoes for a moment. Think about it from their viewpoint. What do they want? Market with meaning. Remember, it’s about their experience.<br /><br />Form partnerships within the local community to create critical masse. Harness the social network within your niche audience and get them talking to each other. Integrate social causes within your program. Help people to do good while being part of something fun and memorable.<br /><br />If you are looking for a good source of information on groups of people with very specific interests, go to www.collectors.org: the Offical Web Site for the Association of Collecting Clubs and the National Association of Collectors. You can find groups of people who collect or who are into just about everything under the sun.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Do I Need Niche Marketing To Make My Business Grow?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:17 GMT</p> <p>In ecology, a niche refers to the place or position occupied by an organism or a population within an ecological community called the ecosystem. It is the term which defines the role the organism or the population plays in the general scheme of things. The niche an organism or a population holds is the one responsible for dictating the ability of the species to survive. In marketing, a niche refers to a service or a product that occupies a special area of demand. It is that small corner in the market that accounts for a certain kind of specialty concerning an unmet customer need. </p> <p>To be able to attract a strong, solid market, the choice of a niche product should ultimately complement the website one owns. It is through this scheme that the internet marketer is able to generate a specific market for the niche product he is trying to sell. Finding niches is vital for the internet marketer. This is the process of finding market segments that are small but potentially profitable nonetheless. </p> <p>To maintain a profitable quantity of sales, this marketing strategy relies on increasing the loyalty of customers so that their corporate objectives will be met or surpassed. Examples of this are the fact that the quality of the product or service sold will generate customer satisfaction and, consequently, customer loyalty. The result is profitability garnered through a solid market base that trusts in the ability of the product or service to really deliver. </p> <p>One of the great things about niche marketing is that it encourages those who indulge in it to be unique and one-of-a-kind. Here one is not forced into the lion’s den and made to compete against established marketers. He is able to occupy a strong and secure position that ultimately wins him a real place in the market. </p> <p>Niche marketing differs from other online marketing strategies because this particular tactic allows it to operate almost autonomously and without having to contend with corporate sharks that tear each other to pieces. One of the most important things that should be thought over by those involved in this type of business is the niche business that is going to be the subject in the process. </p> <p>It is important to consider the type of business that one is going to work on to be able to ensure success. It is also important for him to know everything about the niche business at hand. Learning the tricks of the trade is one of the things that one could learn to make a niche business prosper tremendously. Being able to reach a niche market is another consideration to make. In doing so, you should know the exact phrases that people are searching for. </p> <p>The use of keyword research tools can help a lot in knowing the type of keywords that should be used to make the business profitable. Targeting the right keywords does a lot in making this type of business soar. Those who engage in niche marketing know that determining the potential of a niche before doing everything else is a must if one wants to save all the time and effort that might be wasted if he plunges into everything head on. </p> <p>Building a niche marketing site that proves to be profitable should be done after an unsatisfied customer demand is identified, and marketing the site appropriately by reaching out to customers the best possible way is what niche marketers should consider if they want their business to reach skyrocketing success. </p> <p>Is niche marketing needed in a world teeming with a hundred similar systems designed for people to make money online? Those who know how the system works will answer in the affirmative, because niche marketing is the only system capable of filling up a gaping hole in the market by catering to the unsatisfied needs of customers - needs that are usually not given notice to by those in the big league. Through niche marketing, one is able to gain a foothold in the market by being a needle in a haystack. Small and inconspicuous it may be, but its ability to sting someone so madly once it is found will render him more than surprised. </p> <p>About the author: Steve Sharpe</p> <p>To get your free ebook 'Article Marketing Avalanche', please visit <a href="http://www.articleland.co.uk">http://www.articleland.co.uk</a>. Steve Sharpe is the CEO & Editor in Chief of <a href="http://www.informationbooth.net">http://www.informationbooth.net</a> and <a href="http://www.articleland.co.uk">http://www.articleland.co.uk</a>. He has been in internet marketing for a number of years and can be reached for further information at his websites.</p> </article> </main></body></html>