Branding Archives - Page 18 of 42 - McLellan Marketing Group

What are you overlooking?

April 28, 2008

Everyone is scrambling to find the next new thing in marketing. How do we break through the clutter? What high tech wonder can we harness to get our customer’s attention? How can I be one step ahead of the competition?

Recently, I was reminded that sometimes we just have to look at things a little differently to find the answer. No new medium, no new gadget — just seeing something that was in front of us all along.

I know it won’t surprise you to learn that I was getting on a plane recently. I had changed my flight so I was in the last group of people to be called to board the plane. The line was moving right along and for some reason I noticed that people were actually looking at the gate agent. They were having a brief exchange of some kind. People were smiling. "How weird is that," I thought.

As I got closer, I could hear the gate agent. As he scanned each person’s boarding pass, he was greeting them by name. He varied the greeting…"welcome aboard, how are you doing, good to see you, thanks for flying with us"….but he ended them all with the person’s name.

Here’s a guy who was creating instant customer impressions. No marketing budget. No memo. No meetings. He just realized that everyone’s name was printed on the boarding pass and he could use that fact to create a "talk about" moment.

Sure, he called me Andrew instead of Drew (I just assumed I was in trouble!) so it wasn’t a perfect execution. And I’m sure he knew that every once in awhile he was going to mispronounce a name. But he forged ahead anyway. And it was absolutely noteworthy.

Our names have been on boarding passes for years. This is the first time I have ever had a gate agent call me by name as I passed by. It doesn’t have to be a big thing to be a remarkable thing. Think of the thousands of gate agents who could have done the same thing, but it never occurred to them.

What have you overlooked?

Be sure to build some fun into your brand

April 23, 2008

One of the things I enjoy about Google is that they understand that they don’t always to take themselves so seriously.

The way they play with their iconic logo/home page graphic is so smart and attention-getting. The fact that they only do it for holidays is also brilliant. Too often and it becomes common. Here was their offering for Earth Day.

How could you play with your brand in a noticeable, talk worthy way?

How NOT to re-name your company

April 22, 2008

An Iowa based insurance brokerage called TrueNorth Companies recently announced to its staff that they will now function under a new name, Bearence Management Group.

All well and good, right? No doubt they have given this a great deal of thought. So let’s listen in as they explain their new name. (I swear to God, I did not make this up.)

"Bearence is a word we’re still looking to define," company president Schwartz said, "but it obviously toys with definitions of "bear" and "bearing."

WHAT? Ah, it gets better. Here’s what the CEO added.

"We’ve grown dramatically over the last three years in Des Moines and feel our new name more accurately reflects our overall vision of redefining risk," Chairman and CEO Joe Teeling said.

Umm, how can the new name better reflect anything if you haven’t defined it yet?

The company launched a new Web site after a meeting with employees to reveal the new name and discuss the company’s future.

I wonder if the employees could explain the new name to their leaders?

To add another layer of disbelief to this story — the site doesn’t seem to be live. Staggering.

Re-naming a company isn’t something to be done lightly. Or at the speed of light. But even if you are going to do it without a lot of thought or time — please, have a clue what it means before you announce it to the media or your employees.

How sharp is your pricing strategy?

April 21, 2008

We’ve talked many times about pricing strategy but here’ s a little twist.

What does your pricing strategy say about your brand? Are you like everyone else…$9.99 instead of $10? Or register for our webinar by May 25th and get $200 off!

How about the early bird discounts at conferences?

Lots of sameness. Not right or wrong. Just the same as everyone else. How could you modify your pricing to reflect one of your brand’s values?

Walmart is by far the world’s largest retailer, with the promise of the lowest possible prices. Their current tagline is "Save money. Live better."

Walmart promises that they’ll sell us stuff as cheap as they possibly can. And they demonstrate that by not using the $9.99 standard price point but instead we’ll find items marked $9.83 or $19.67. Those pinpoint prices speak volumes. Without saying a word, Walmart is reminding us of their brand.

They’re using price as a tangible demonstration of the company’s commitment to their brand promise.

Pricing is one of the many tools of brand design and management. Your strategy should be as much about your brand as it is about your costs of goods or any other operational consideration.

How do you using your pricing strategy to reinforce your brand promise?

Nuisance or Friend – it’s up to you

April 9, 2008

Every day, I get a call from someone saying, "Hi, I’m just calling you back to see if you want to do business with me." Okay, they don’t quite say it in those words, but that’s what they mean.

I’ve already spoken to them. I know what they do. And if I had needed it, I would have called them. They’re offering no new information. But, I got put on their calendar for a call back or follow up e-mail.

Now they’re just being a pest. I understand they’re just doing their job, trying to make a sale. Here’s the problem. We live in a "what’s in it for me" world and I am as jaded as any other consumer. When they call with "are you doing any printing that we could bid on" they aren’t thinking about me. They are thinking about their own sales goals and needs.

Imagine how I’d welcome their call if they opened with "one of my clients is looking for an agency. I’d like to introduce you to them," or "I saw an article on branding that I think you’d enjoy. Can I e-mail it to you?" Rather than me being frustrated that they keep calling, now I’d welcome their call because I know there’s something in it for me, along with their sales pitch.

We shouldn’t be cold calling. We should be relationship building. And when we care about the relationship, we aren’t in it just for ourselves. Don’t pick up the phone without first thinking about the person you’re calling.

Demonstrate that you know their business and care about it by giving before you get. There’s no quicker way to shift from nuisance to welcome caller.

So come on, let’s create a list together. I’ll add responses/suggestions to the end of this post. What can you offer to strengthen the relationship? Industry news? A new business lead? An article of interest?

Build your brand: Letting someone go

April 4, 2008

No one likes to let an employee go. Whether it is firing someone for cause or being forced to let a good employee go because of downsizing — it stinks. It’s a "keep you up all night worrying" sort of event. Because it is so awkward and difficult — most people do it badly. They rush it or talk for too long or just don’t manage the situation well.

Every single thing your organization does or doesn’t do impacts your brand. But, the more emotionally charged the moment/event — the greater potential it has to color the brand. The more "talkable" the moment — the great potential it has to color your brand.

So letting someone go is ripe for brand building or brand break down. If you think that your employees will not dissect every word, you’re crazy.

When is the time to plan (yes….plan) how you want an employee dismissal or layoff to go is when you don’t have one pending. Do a little creativity exercise. If you think about your brand’s attributes and promise — how, staying within that space, would the event happen?

If you were absolutely true to your brand:

When (day of the week, time of day) would you let someone go?
Where (does it have to happen in the office?)
What would you give the leaving employee? (Documents, phone numbers they’ll need, etc)
How will you end the conversation? (hug, high five, solemn look, handshake, nothing?)
What part of the conversation will the employee repeat?
How will you handle the news with the employees who are staying?

This just scratches the surface. My point to you is this: How you handle this situation WILL reflect on your brand. Far better to be purposeful about it, don’t you thin

Guy Kawasaki wrote a great post a couple years ago about how to handle a layoff. Well worth the read.

So let’s talk about this. Share a story of how you either managed this uncomfortable situation or what it felt like to be on the receiving end. I’ll bet we can find some branding wisdom among the stories.

Whose job is it?

April 2, 2008

There are few marketing tactics that work better than a referral. Instant credibility. The personal seal of approval. No wonder we all covet them. So, we sit back and wait. After all, our clients love us. Surely they are out there telling everyone they know how good we are. Right?

Wrong.

Let me ask you a couple questions.

1. Do you really expect your clients to remember the full range of services you offer?

2. Is it your client’s job to know how to describe your services to interest new clients?

Remember, it’s not that your clients don’t want to give you a referral, it’s just that it probably doesn’t even occur to them. And even if it does, they need a little help from you to do it well.

So you need to do your part. Ask them. Be sure to frame your question to help your client really hone in on the right kind of prospect. This means you need to do your homework. You need to be able to describe what kind of business is the best fit for you.

Think of the clients that you have the strongest, most mutually beneficial relationship with. What do they have in common? Size? Type of work? Location? Category of business?

You get the idea. It makes sense that other businesses with those same traits would be a natural fit. Create a client profile that really captures your ideal client. Then, see if your clients can help you find a few more.

Once you’ve got your client profile ready, share it with your clients. I’m betting many of them will have someone they’d like to introduce you to.

So, which client are you going to take to lunch this week?

Did Dilbert write your mission statement?

March 21, 2008

See how familiar this sounds:

"At XYZ Corporation, we work with integrity to deliver value driven solutions that propel our clients to their ultimate success. We do this with a spirit of fairness, teamwork and recognizing that the XYZ family is our greatest resource."

Blech. Lots of words. Very little meaning.

Mission statements. What is it about them that is so difficult for most companies? For every good one out there, there are 100 that make you just scratch your head.

My most recent post at Marketing Profs Daily Fix explores the struggle that many companies have with creating a mission statement that actually says something meaningful about their organization. Come join us in the conversation.

Or….feel free to go the Dilbert route — this is worth a laugh or two.

WowOwow! And I really mean it.

March 9, 2008

Look at this list of women. Do your best not to say WOW at least once.

Lesley Stahl, Peggy Noonan, Liz Smith, Joni Evans, Mary Wells, Sheila Nevins, Joan Juliet Buck, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Reed, Joan Ganz Cooney, Judith Martin, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, and Marlo Thomas.

I know…can’t be done. Go ahead. Give yourself permission. Wow.

That is a power-packed list. Women who have incredible influence in many different fields. Apparently, they’ve been friends for some time and as they say:

"And for years we have been talking to each other about everything under the sun – our families, our work, our worlds. No matter what was happening in our lives, we made the time. We’ve shared what we think, observe and experience each day.

And now we want to share it with you."

The call it a conversation on the internet. I call it a blog. But….in very short order, we’re going to call it a force. Their question of the day for yesterday was….which 4 women would you like to see on Mt. Rushmore. 70+ comments.

Umm, that was on the day of their launch, International Women’s Day. Imagine how popular they’ll be in a week!

Hats off to these ladies, their fascinating conversations and their wisdom in inviting us to join in.

So here’s what I am wondering. How will this site and these women influence the blogosphere, the media, advertisers or public perception?

Need to raise your prices? Here’s how.

March 6, 2008

I know, it’s crazy talk. Or is it?

Raise your prices when we might be facing a recession? But for some organizations, it’s just smart business. Or maybe it is necessary business. Cost of goods may be on the rise, or labor might be costing you more.

Or you might know/believe that consumers respond differently to higher end pricing than they do to lower priced items.

Whatever the reason, there’s a right way and a wrong way to raise your prices. The truth of the matter is in the life cycle of most businesses, prices need to be raised.

Whether you are a law firm that charges by the hour or a manufacturer who sells widgets – your cost of goods is likely to rise. So, your prices need to as well.

Raising prices can also raise the ire of your clients. Depending on the maturity of your business, your customer base, the percentage of increase you’d like to make – there are several ways to accomplish your goal without losing or upsetting clientele.

The most common way to raise prices is to just do it across the board and then send a sincere letter to your customers like "over the past 10 years, ABC Plumbing has worked hard to hold our prices steady. We’re proud of the fact that we’ll be able to contain our price increase to a very modest 2%…" Common, but not without some potential for push back.

Sometimes it is the most common way because it’s the only way. But, how else might you get the increase you want without incurring the wrath of existing customers?

How about charging extra for special privileges? Access to a customer hot-line that skips the on hold queue or upgrades in shipping or turnaround time. Today, one of the most valuable assets for most people is time. If you can save them time, they often will gladly pay extra.

Another way of looking at your pricing is market segments. A business traveler who needs to be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and back on Thursday will pay more for a plane ticket than a Grandma planning a visit to her family. You probably have similar segments within your customer base.

No matter how you handle a price increase, one element is critical. Be upfront and demonstrate value. Your clients don’t begrudge you making a profit. They just want to get a value for their dollar. Price increases can be a win/win if you think them through and handle them correctly.

Here’s some heartening news. Some research suggests that people like you better if you’re more expensive!

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