Why branding is more than a pretty logo

--> Why branding is more than a pretty logo

Your brand is so much more than that cool little swoosh logo the graphic designer developed for you
Remember the dot com boom? Every new company seemed to have some variation of a little ellipse logo and a bold font. It became very difficult to tell them apart.

This was a product of rushing to market. There was so much insanity surrounding any company who could put a ".com" at the end of their name, that companies rushed to take advantage of the investment market.

The logos were simply by products of incomplete branding. You see, your brand is more than the symbol you put on paper. Your brand is a larger, more compelling idea that is communicated in many ways.

If your company was a person, it's brand would be it's personality. Your company's personality, just like that of a person, can be a complex set of beliefs and tendencies. It's the things we do, the things we want, and the things we stand for that all make up our personality. It is no different for your brand.

Successful branding leverages those things about your company's "personality" that are unique, motivating and memorable. The brand should communicate the differences in your company and how they translate into benefits for your customers.

A well managed brand is a very powerful asset that helps to focus your company's internal thinking, aligns communication efforts, and builds customer loyalty.

When your brand is thoughtfully developed and managed across the "touch points" of your organization, it gains strength by reinforcing that personality with every piece of communication.

These communications build on one another, compounding the message and impacting your target audience.

As a small business, make sure you pay attention to your brand, not just a cool logo. It will pay off well into the future.

Happy Marketing!

Why Branding Is Vital For Your Home Business Success

--> Why Branding Is Vital For Your Home Business Success On a hot Sunday afternoon when your body fluids have been drained dry by the scorching sun, which would you rather order? Coca Cola, or Jeebejus Sweet Soda? The answer is as clear as it is universal. The more established brand would be chosen almost every time.

This is why branding is very important in building a home business. Cyberspace is fueled by information, and information travels fast. Everything on the Internet is delivered with digital speed. Competitions would sprout from out of nowhere on a daily basis. The only way to contend is by beating them to the punch when it comes to consumer recall, and this can be done through effective branding.

In building a home Internet business, much care and attention must be given to your enterprise's name. It is the means by which people would refer to it, after all. Once a name has been decided on, the next logical step would be to build on that brand and expose it to as many people as possible.

Building a brand, and consequently, building an online presence, can be as fast or as meticulously slow as you want it to be. As we've mentioned earlier, everything on cyberspace is faster, and this includes branding your home business. But you also proceed at your own pace, and in the process, giving your market the impression that you're emphasizing quality over popularity.

Here are some branding techniques you could use to help you in building a home Internet business:

* Always use your name. A lot of people are hesitant about online transactions. Giving them your real name would be taken as an invitation for their trust. Additionally, your name would give them something to remember you by.

* Article marketing can help in branding you as an expert on the subject you wrote about. And you being a representation of your enterprise, will in turn help in branding and building a home Internet business.

* Consider crafting a logo during the planning stages in building your business. Visual representations are sometimes easier to remember than written words.

* Build relationships. Relationships would help you achieve a level of credibility and reliability. Additionally, those whom you have befriended would be more than willing to give a good word about you, either in private correspondences with their own network, or publicly by giving you a testimonial for your products or services.

* Provide bonuses and excellent after-sales services. These value added attractions would make your clients feel special, and they would remember you well because of it. Consider this detail in building an online business.

* Publish your own eZine. Having a constant medium through which your thought and your business messages can be conveyed would be a fantastic vehicle in building your brand.

These are but some of the more popular ways of branding, as utilized by veteran Internet marketers. It would serve you well if you'd follow their footsteps and give a good start in building an Internet business that would be remembered for a long, long time.

What is Branding and Why Do You Want It?

--> What is Branding and Why Do You Want It? Talking about branding is like talking about leadership. There are coaches and courses which purport to "teach" leadership, but as we all sense - that's why we want so badly to learn it - leadership comes from character and inner qualities. It's an extension of beliefs and values the person holds and then acts out in their life, an integral part of their personality. You can't pick up "character" in a seminar. It comes from years of reading, work on yourself, exposure to great literature, great art and great people, and plain out experience.

Leadership isn't going to a seminar and coming back saying, "Let's do a mission statement," it's being so devoted to mission yourself others can't wait to get around you, find out what it is, and partake of it.

Leaders lead because other people want to follow them. There's no other reason. Not the paycheck, not the stick ... just that feeling when we get with someone - "Hey, I want to go where they're going. Count me in!"

Leadership isn't a surface thing, and neither is branding. It's what you stand for, your personality. It's your soul and what you're about.

Fiddling around with your logo and business card are superficial things. They make an impression on your consumer, yes, but they don't have power; they only have "veto" power. No one ever booked your services because of your business card, but someone may have vetoed you because of it. There are some terrible business cards out there, and people DO form immediate and initial impressions. I'm thinking of the therapist I know who - believe it or not - has a neon fuschia business card. This is not the person I want doing therapy on me or anyone I know.

On the other hand, I never looked at an attorney's business card - they're all the same, even the same font - and said, "This is the man I want to represent me in court."

The way you get your brand across is projecting your personality - who you ARE - in every aspect of your business. What your webpage looks like, the wording, the inclusion of quotes or not, graphics, the way you handle your customers, how well you deliver products, promises and services. Your products and your style.
We bond with businesses the same way we do with people - through their personalities.

When I think about Dave, God rest his soul in peace, and Wendy's, I think 'just a comfortable place to be.' Actually I knew Dave, our kids played soccer together, and he was just the same way in person as he was on the t.v. screen. Now THAT'S branding.

Branding means starting with your values and beliefs, projecting these into everything you do, and going forward from there.

EXAMPLE

When I went into coaching, I did so because I wanted to help people, but in my own way, according to my beliefs and values. Coaching is not therapy, but one thing that frustrates me about therapy is the tight scheduling. You can be in the middle of "And then the man put a knife against my throat..." and your session is over.

I wanted to remove this element from my coaching practice. I wanted to be known for exceptional service, commitment and connection. I wanted to be a place people could come in their warp-speed lives and know they would receive the time and attention they deserved.

How we handle "time" is an important part of our personalities. Here are some of the ways I play with time to project my brand:

-My website is loaded with information that takes a long time to read.
-My website takes a long time to load. We are not in a hurry here.
-Each of my Internet courses comes with the opportunity for unlimited email with me. Learners are free to respond, react, question and dialogue with me for the duration of the course.
-I answer each email individually.
-I don't use autoresponders anywhere in my practice.
-I don't arbitrarily limit the time of the coaching session.
-I don't require a contract. The time is open-ended
-I don't ordinarily book clients back-to-back. This isn't an assembly-line.
-I offer the Don't Die at 50 Weekly Organizational Calendar but wait til you see it. It isn't talking about "polish your shoes."
-I deliver my ebooks personally, that is by email with a note. Sure this could be an autoresponder thing, but that's not my style. If someone has the courtesy to buy something from me, they deserve the courtesy of a personal note.

Everything I produce and the way I deliver it is branded.

How about you?

BUSINESSES HAVE PERSONALITIES

Paul Temporal, author of "Advanced Brand Management," asked people to describe two competing companies' personalities "as if they were people" and here's what he got.

People defined Company A as "sophisticated, arrogant, efficient, self-centered, distant and disinterested." Company B, the competitor, they defined as "easy going, modest, helpful, caring, and approachable, and interested."

Not surprisingly, 95% of the people said they'd rather do business with Company B, and, not surprisingly, Company B was way ahead in the competition.

START WITH YOUR VALUES & YOUR BELIEFS

When you think about branding your business, sit down and think about what's important to you and what you want to project. Then make sure everything you do speaks of this. In other words, walk the walk, don't just talk the talk

If it's your intent to treat customers with respect, operationalize the term and make sure you're actually doing it. Respect isn't a concept; it's an action.

Modernizing your image (logo, collaterals) "won't effect a change in brand values," says Temporal. "The heart of the brand remains the same - what it stands for or its personality."

Consumer perceptions of quality, service and other intangibles are your brand, and what keeps them coming back for more. Are you approachable? Are you interested? Do you care? Do your actions show it? Your customers won't be fooled and they have choices.

What is Branding, and Why Do I Need It?

--> What is Branding, and Why Do I Need It?

The most valuable asset a company has is its Brand. You may laugh, but without an established brand or corporate identity you will have to work ten times harder and spend twice as much money to reach the same level of results as your competitor with a strong Brand.

A prime example is Nike. Who does not know the "swoosh" Nike logo which appears on everything from running socks to bathing suits. Nike purposely positioned their Brand in various sporting goods markets as the best. This didn't happen overnight, but by constantly reinforcing their corporate message through intensive branding campaigns people now associate the Nike Brand with quality.

However, Nike has the luxury of a multi-million dollar marketing budget. How can the new or small business owner run an effective branding campaign and still have money left in the budget for other marketing endevours? By following these guidelines, you can start establishing your Brand:

(1) Establish a Company Mission Statement. This will help you define the purpose and direction of your company to yourself, your employees, and your customers.

(2) Develop a Company Logo.

(3) Develop a company slogan. This can go out of your mission statement, but should be a simple concept targeted at your customers that embody your company's image.

(4) Use your logo and slogan on all internal and external communication. People will start to associate your logo image and slogan with your business.

(5) Reinforce your mission statement through your customer service. A good customer experience will not only keep that customer coming back, but will help build your Brand.

(6) Keep your message simple. Don't confuse your audience. Be simple and to the point of who you are, what your company does, and what separates you from your competition.

Once a strong Brand is established, your customers will already have an idea of who you are and what you stand for. This will help you introduce new products, approach new clients, and expand your customer base. Though Branding does need constant reinforcement, it is one of the most valuable marketing tools and asset of your company.

Melissa Werkenthin is the owner and founder of Loki Media, a marketing and advertising consulting firm specializing in electronic media. For more information about her services or if you would like to receive a free monthly e-newsletter, Marketing Your Business, please visit www.lokimedia.com or email Melissa Werkenthin.

Use Your E-mail Address As a Branding Tool

--> Use Your E-mail Address As a Branding Tool Even before you launch your website, you can (and should) begin
to use your domain name. Why? Because it is the worlds cheapest
advertising tool and an excellent way to brand your business.
How? By using your domain name in your email address and in your
signature file.

If your email address reads yourname@aol.com or you@bell.com -
you are branding the name of your Internet Service Provider. Why
should you do it? Your ISP doesn't pay you for it. Indeed, you
pay THEM a monthly fee!!!

Quite likely you were not aware that you do have a choice here.
Instead of advertising Earthlink, GTE, BellSouth, or AOL, you
can advertise and brand your own business and your own name.

In case you didn't know, here is how it works. For example, my
own service provider is home.com -- but my e-mail program is
configured so, that the address I use in my "from" field says
"wanda@loska.com". I can do that because my web host provides
me with a forwarding service. That means, any message sent to
wanda@loska.com is forwarded automatically to my *home.com*
account.

Don't think that you need to launch your web site to be able to
do this -- even if you are not ready, you can use this feature.
I suggest that once you get a domain name, you set up a simple
page like this: http://internetsuccesscoach.com/bizcard.html
-- but even this is not necessary.

To use your domain name in email address, you only need to have
a domain name and a decent web host. Yes, really. With domain
name registration costs as low as $9.95 per year, and with web
hosting fees around $15-30 per month -- can you afford NOT to
do it? I don't think so!

To register a domain name, you might want to use a special
name-find tool at http://BuyDomains.com -- it allows you to
search for the domain names containing your specific key words.
Excellent time saving device!

When choosing your domain name keep this in mind:

-> Select a name that is not only easy to pronounce and easy to
spell -- make sure that it spells the same way as it sounds.

-> Avoid hyphens, numbers and abbreviations to prevent future
confusion -- unless registering both versions -- for example,
I registered both domain names: EMailMarketingTips.com and
E-MailMarketingTips.com

-> Chances are that the name you really want is not available as
dot-com anymore. If so, select another, less perfect name, but
try to get dot-com before you opt for .net or .org -- or any
other extensions.

-> Make it is as short as possible. Yes, virtually all one word
domain names with dot-com extension are taken, but don't give
up too easily on two-word names. There are still many great
ones available.

-> Three, or even four-word domain names can be good too if
they are not too long. Make sure you count syllables as well.
If it is easy to pronounce and under six syllables, most
likely it is fine (my InternetSuccessCoach.com has 3 words
and 6 syllables for example)

Using your own domain name is not only cost-free branding tool.
In addition this type of email address adds instant credibility
to your correspondence and - even more important - your e-mail
address will stay the same even when you change your ISP (and
most likely you will, trust me!).

Think Beyond Today and Start Branding Your Future

--> Think Beyond Today and Start Branding Your Future One of the subjects that has been thrown around
a lot lately is branding. I guess it is something
that I have done for years without realizing it.
Yet once I really started thinking about it, I
realized that it is something too many people
spend no time or money doing.

The large companies spend millions doing nothing
but getting their name in front of customers.
I have not had a television in years but the
normal routine of people has probably not changed.
A commercial comes and people are off doing the
dishes, off to the bathroom or finish filling
out your list of things to do for tomorrow.

Even though the mind set of people is to other
things while the commercials are on, advertisers
still spend huge money to get their name mentioned
in a 30 second spot. Why? Even though a lot of
people are doing other things, they still hear
Drink Pepsi or Coke is the one.

Sure these people want you to watch the commercial
and by running it over and over, they hope to
accomplish this. But the real branding here is
for you to hear or see their name. The more you
see it, the more likely you are to remember it
when you are making a decision on what to spend
your money on.

When banner ads stopped producing the kind of
response they once were, prices for them started
dropping. If you need to pay bills this week, it
is not the method of advertising that you would
want to choose but for branding it is great.

A few hundred thousand banner impressions can
do wonders for your name recognition. And today,
with a little shopping around, you can get them
very cheap.

I keep a constant watch on Ebay for banner
impressions. Watch a few auctions and get a
feel for what kind of prices they are going
for. Then start watching for some good deals.

There are a lot of places that will put your
banner on their site with unlimited impressions
for a month, two months or even more.

There have been a few companies lately offering
unlimited banners for the life of their site.
Banners may not be the road to getting rich if
you are trying to sell them but they sure can
be a nice way to get a little name recognition
for the advertiser.

A little word of caution here. Check out the
person who is auctioning off the product. Ebay
allows feedback on every transaction and you
can get a pretty good picture of what kind of
person you are dealing with. Make sure you
check before bidding.

Here is a link to the section that has banner
auctions.

http://listings.ebay.com/aw/plistings/list/category11763/index.html

So many people think they have to get a return
on their advertising investment today. You will
find those who are very successful are always
looking towards tomorrow.

Start thinking about the long term when spending
money on advertising. A little money on branding
yourself each month will go a long ways towards
assuring your business success in the future.
Think beyond today and start branding your future.

the 4C's of Branding

--> the 4C's of Branding The 4 C's of Personal Branding
By Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed.

Branding could be defined as a guiding philosophy for building business. The benefits of building a strong brand are tremendous. With a strong name brand, you have instant name recognition, can charge higher fees, get to choose who you work with, and can handle economic changes and challenges with greater ease. In addition, a strong brand demonstrates the four C's of branding: Clarity, Competence, Communication, and Constancy.
Does your brand pass the 'Four C Test?'

C1: Clarity
Strong brands are clear about who they are and what they do. They have named and claimed their domain, often in the form of a mission statement that is shared with employees, customers, and the community. For Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates envisioned a computer on every desk in the world.

My mission statement is clear and concise.
1____(no) 5_____ (maybe) 10_____ (yes)

C2: Competence
Strong brands have suitable skills, qualifications, and experience related to their field. They prove their worth by under promising and over-delivering. These are the people and companies you call when you need the job done right the first time. Fed Ex is known for getting your package there "no matter what."

I have full confidence in my ability and products/or services.
1____(no) 5_____ (maybe) 10_____ (yes)


C3: Communication
Strong brands have a variety of ways to get their message delivered to their intended audience. Nowadays, companies have to use traditional and non-traditional ways of communicating with their customers. With my own coaching business, I give in-person seminars, write books, workbooks, articles, an ezine, advertise in magazines, radio/television stations, maintain two websites, and use other internet services and sites to communicate locally and globally.

My communication system if far-reaching and varied.
1____(no) 5_____ (maybe) 10_____ (yes)


C4: Constancy
Strong brands are highly visible to their target audience. They are constantly there for their customers, prospects, and networking contacts. The Oprah empire is a great example. She is everywhere! From her weekly tv show, to O magazine, numerous media appearances, and volunteer activities--- Oprah is constantly in the public eye.
My visibility is high and consistent.
1____(no ) 5_____ (maybe) 10_____ (yes)


In an issue of Fast Company magazine, it said, "We are CEO's of our own company, Me, Inc. To be in business today, your most important job is to build a market for the brand called You. The good news is that everyone has a change to stand out. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark." When building and branding your business, you need to keep the four C's in mind, because no brand can become the best brand without passing the 'Four C Test.'

How does your brand rate?
0-15: You need to work on your branding strategy
15-30: You have made some headway with your brand strategy
30-40: You have a solid name brand strategy

The Art of Successful Branding

--> The Art of Successful Branding Branding: it's a term that carries great weight in the world of advertising. Successful branding is best illustrated by the world's most prominent corporations, but it's no less important to the small business owner. Your Brand is your identity; it's every single puzzle piece, fitted into the big picture of your company. From your name and logo to your business philosophy and corporate mission; from your advertising campaign message to your design elements; from your products and services; all that is owned, produced, stated, sold and marketed by your company falls under the broad heading of your Brand.


What exactly is a "brand?" The term probably originated at a time when when ours was a strictly agricultural society. Ranchers take a branding iron to their cattle, as a way to signify they OWN those cows. Likewise, modern corporations choose a logo to brand their name into the mind of the consumer. Every time you label an ad or website with your company logo; every time you take a political stance on behalf of your corporation, you're putting your brand into effect. And if a brand indicates ownership, then it should be your ultimate mission to dominate, or own, your niche. Brand your company. Own the cow.


How do you determine your style of branding? Analyze your audience. Zero in on the group you're trying to reach. Are they male, female, or both? What's the age group and economical level? What are their spending habits, their values? How do they TALK? What are they concerned about? What do they think they NEED? Where will their focus be in six months? And most importantly, how does your marketable product fit into the scheme? If you never really get to know your audience, you can read all the marketing how-to strategies in the world, and it isn't going to mean diddly-squat for your business. It isn't going to help you build your brand.


What's the next step? Always, always, always put yourself in their shoes. Jump right into their heads, if you can. Think of your audience during the business-plan conception process. How do they communicate? What do they find visually appealing? Are you marketing to senior citizens? Use bigger fonts, a nostalgic tone, and a morally forthright attitude. Is it the filthy, stinking rich whom you're trying to attract? Save the Crazy Eddie shtick, because money is no object here. Every bit of energy used to promote your brand should be focused toward winning over your key customer.


There will be a time when you completely lose sight of who you're trying to attract. This, in turn, dilutes the power of your brand. You'll be in the middle of writing an ad, when suddenly your head is racing with potential buyer types. This happened to me once during my writing stint with a digital media company who sold Santa Claus greetings. In my sales letter, which went on for pages and pages, there was no limit to what Santa could do! He could praise tiny tots for using the potty. He could play matchmaker to a couple of young lovers. He could patch up an argument you had with Aunt Freida in Topeka. All of this was great, but it was really convoluting Who We Were as a company, and our Santa was becoming a Jack Frost of all trades. It was no good! So we went back to square one. And through simple words and a more narrow focus on our original audience of children, we finally captured the Magic of Christmas that we had originally intended to be Our Brand.


Reflect your brand in everything you do; from your website design, to your public relations, to how you go about selling your product. Once you've done this, the next step is to create Brand Awareness. This is achieved through consistency. You can dream up the most brilliant ad campaign on the planet, but if you're not consistent about putting it in place, you'll never establish brand recognizability.


If the tone of your company is "fun, light and noncontroversial", steer clear of anti-war demonstrations. If Arial is your font of choice, then don't go switching it up mid-campaign and putting out affiliate program materials using Tahoma. If tongue-in-cheek humor is how you attract attention, don't line your website borders with super-mushy personal ads. Ask yourself: will this resonate with my key customer? And use your logo and company tagline wherever possible

The Art of Self Branding

--> The Art of Self Branding

How executives, salespeople and professional of all types can use personal branding to be more effective and successful.
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.

The Power of a Self Brand

By Catherine Kaputa

Today, branding isn't just for companies, Hollywood celebrities, or highly-paid athletes. People in all walks of life are starting to use personal or self branding to get ahead in the game of life.

The single factor that often explains the difference between a professional who is competent and doing okay and one who earns a significant income and generates lots of business is self branding.

Self branding defined: Self branding is a strong personal identity based on a clear perception about what you stand for, what sets you apart from others, and the added value you bring to a job or situation.

Your self brand is the sum total of other people's feelings about your attributes and capabilities, how you perform, even their perceptions about what you are worth.

To brand or not to brand? Many people think that if they do a good job, their career will go fine. But no matter how secure your position seems to be, you are in competition with more people than you think.

To some people, branding may seem manipulative or phony. "I'd just rather be myself," they say, "to with the flow and see where my career takes me." Or, the familiar line, "I'm not good at marketing myself."

If you don't brand yourself, others will. The fact of the matter is you're giving the power to other people to brand you if you don't do it yourself.

Let me give you an example. A new client came in who was fuming because of the way another executive introduced her at a conference. He branded her as the company's direct mail maven. That may have been the way she started out at the firm, but not quite how she saw herself now.

Self brands are created not born. Branding is mainly a process of analyzing a product in relationship to a market and figuring out how to maximize the brand's potential. Branding is creating an asset out of something. It is a matter of satisfying a market need in a different way. And figuring out a plan of action - the marketing plan - to build awareness and trial of the brand.

Launching a person on a drive to become a successful personal brand is essentially the same process. It is a conscious strategic process, a branding process, a process that Hollywood celebrities and high profile athletes have been using for some time.

The Self Brand mindset: Self branding means looking at yourself as a marketer would look at a product that he or she wants to make a winning brand. You don't think of yourself as an employee even if you work for a boss. You think of yourself as working for yourself marketing the brand, You.

The first thing a marketer does is analyze the market and the product to understand what the opportunities are, what the threats are. What are the current conditions? What are the assumptions about the future? What problems need to be solved? What needs aren't being met?

Act like the marketer of the product: You. In personal branding, after analyzing the market, you do a self audit. What are my strengths and weaknesses? How does my brand compare with the people I am competing with?

You focus on key attributes and resources that differentiate you. Skills, abilities, even personality traits you have that are a solution to a market need. Then you adopt what Theodore Levitt called "the marketing imagination." You build a personal brand identity that is different, relevant and adds value.

Plan to dazzle: write out a marketing plan. I often work with clients to develop a formal marketing plan that lays out a personal brand strategy and action plan. It is often in the writing that new creative options come to light.

It is important to set personal brand goals with a specific time frame and plan of action for achieving the goals. So just like a marketer would, you write down personal marketing activities to achieve your goals. And, of course, you execute the marketing plan. You can't get to where you want to go unless you plan it and then do it.

The final step is measurement. You assess your effectiveness. How is my "portfolio" different now than it was last year? What new projects did I take on? How did I expand my network? What new learning did I acquire? If something isn't working, you change trains. Branding is a dynamic process that offers the greatest rewards to the receptive individual.

Thinking and acting like a brand can create and maintain demand for your most important product - you.

Copyright 2003 All rights reserved.

Tales of the Touareg and other adventures in branding

--> Tales of the Touareg and other adventures in branding You're not likely to see a Volkswagen in the winner's circle at Daytona or Indianapolis. But if there were competition called the Brand-Building 500, you would find a Volkswagen in the winner's circle, year after year. Everyone knows the touchstones of branding - creating value, consistency, visibility and loyalty. However, like auto racing, these fundamentals are easy to talk about, but a little more challenging to execute. Nearly anyone can steer a car around a track. But winning consistently against fierce competition in a variety of locations and conditions requires considerable skill.

Few companies are more skilled than Volkswagen at building customer loyalty. Owners become emotionally invested in their cars, invent pet names for them and treat them like extended family members. In addition to automobile devotees, the company has many more admirers who are fans of the brand. Their irreverent image and clever television ad campaigns speak to young buyers today with a message that's consistent with the one used to sell Bugs to their parents 30 years ago. If you're a hip, free-spirited kind of person who wants a car with personality, come join us. Among marketers, the company's promotional prowess is legendary:

The last original VW Bug, forerunner of today's modernized Beetle, rolled off the production line in 2003 - the last of 21,529,464 sold worldwide since the 1930s. In addition to dozens of Bug restoration and repair books, several compilations of VW's popular print ads have been published.

A "Transparent Factory" in Dresden, Germany features glass walls that enable residents to witness the manufacture of VW luxury sedans. Finished vehicles are displayed in a glass tower before being delivered to their new owners.

In 1973-74, the company sold 30,000 VW "Things" - a re-badged German military vehicle that looks very much like the offspring of a jeep and a dumpster - to enthusiastic U.S. buyers.

In fact, even as Europe's largest automaker, VW has been successful in defining a sort of exclusive club for younger, educated drivers. Many of these buyers start with a Jetta or a Beetle before moving on to the company's more luxurious offerings.

And now comes the Touareg, VW's entry into the luxury SUV market. Touareg is apparently a first-rate SUV with what USA Today calls "style, grace and growl." But Touareg? Come on. Passat is an odd name, but "Touareg" sounds like something that needs calamine lotion.

Worship me or die

Perhaps Touareg has some poetic meaning in Slovakia, where it is built. Or perhaps the industry is simply running out of good car names. It's a good bet that if you looked through enough sci-fi novels, you would encounter an evil warlord called Touareg the Terrible who aims to enslave a galaxy or kidnap a lovely Empress. What's next? Ming the Mercury? The Plymouth Vader? On the other hand, a "Worship Me or Die!" ad campaign for the Touareg would be a refreshing change of pace from those friendly, self-deprecating Beetle commercials.

On the plus side, it's a pretty safe bet that Touareg doesn't mean "won't go" in Spanish and won't offend Wiccans, Jaycees or the Saharan nomads the vehicle is said to be named for. But VW could have accomplished that by calling it the Type 181, which is what the Thing was called during its hitch in the military. Perhaps Volkswagen thought that all the good rugged locale names, like Tahoe and the Santa Fe, were taken. The VW "Peoria" or "Levittowner" just wouldn't have the same cach

Stop Branding Your Products and Start Branding Yourself!

--> Stop Branding Your Products and Start Branding Yourself! Branding has power. Real power. A power that you can
measure. But for those of us who have the dream of
creating our own Internet Empire from our home cubicle
or kitchen table, the Real Branding Power comes not
from branding your business or product, but from
Branding Yourself! Branding "You" (a phrase borrowed
from Rick Beneteau) is a power that you can't afford
not to understand and use.

"Branding Yourself" is the application of certain
techniques which will help you gain popularity on the
Internet by making yourself well known, maybe as an
Expert in your field. When people recognize you as an
expert you will gain popularity by means of more free
publicity than you can imagine. Picture seeing an
article written mentioning your name as an authority on
Marketing or mentioning you for nothing more than
quoting something you said. The point I'm trying to
make is that you are seen as an Authority or better
put, a "Personality". Now, try to fathom thousands or
even hundreds of thousands of people seeing you in the
same light. This is what successful Self-Branding is
all about. You don't need to necessarily be an expert.
You just need to be seen, heard and talked about.

How do you Brand Yourself? There are many techniques
and methods, but it can be as simple as a hidden
personality trait, a nickname (maybe something like
"Wild Bill"), or helping others by consultation or
assistance. You must look for ways to literally become
a Celebrity in the eyes of the world or at least a
small, select part of it. It could be by getting your
name known as the "guy/gal who had the answer or made
the comment". Is that all there is to it? Of course
not.

The one thing I am slowly and surely learning about
marketing on the Internet is that you have to build a
name for yourself before people will trust you and
trust your products. Trust is a big issue on the
Internet. Can you blame people? The Internet is overrun
with rip-offs and fast-talking scam artists. Their
whole existence is centered on the sole pursuit of
relieving you of your money for a product with lots of
promise and no result.

I recently purchased a book by Rick Beneteau, called
"Branding You and Breaking the Bank". Now you might
think that Rick had some kind of big money backing him.
"Sure", you say, "that's the only way to get into the
big time". Well, let me tell you Rick started out a few
years ago from the very bottom. The one thing that he
understood that many of us don't, is that you must
Brand Yourself, whether it's as an expert in marketing
or the guy next door who'll help you out with a
problem. But, one thing is for sure; Rick knows how to
do it. Would you like to learn more about Personal
Branding and how to get your name known and respected?
Learn how to get thousands of dollars worth the free
advertising?

Is this a recommendation for a product? I have to say,
without a doubt "YES"! But I am so thrown back by this
book, that I simply had to write an article around it.
Many of you may have read some of my articles, and I
know that some of you read them religiously (thank you
very much). Those of you that do, know that I do not
write articles supporting products in this manner. I
may have mentioned a product in the process, that's
part of the Biz. But, I cannot stress enough the
importance of "Personal Branding". I wholeheartedly
support and recommend Rick's Book, "Branding You and
Breaking the Bank".

This Powerful new book puts YOU on the fast track to
becoming an Internet Celebrity. Not only does Rick
teach you step-by-step how he did it; he also asked
many of the top Internet personalities to share their
success secrets with you. If you're at all serious
about achieving success on the Internet, you need to
start Branding YOU and Breaking the Bank!

Do yourself a favor. Check It Out!


I'll be e-Seeing you Soon

Small Business Marketing And Advertising: Branding vs. Direc

--> Small Business Marketing And Advertising: Branding vs. Direc Too often, small business advertising and marketing campaigns prioritize branding at the expense of direct response--i.e., actually getting leads and/or sales right now. That is almost always a foolish and even dangerous proposition.

Small Business Branding Advertising and Marketing an Oxymoron?

Unless you're a ubiquitous consumer products company, the value of branding is far, far less than the value of direct response. What good is impressing someone with your brand if he or she never comes into contact with your business again? Why would they come into contact with your business again if you haven't gotten a direct response?

Branding is essential for Coca Cola and Microsoft and all the other consumer giants because they don't need direct response. Their offering is available every time you drive down the street, so burning their logos into your eyeballs will actually make you more likely to buy. But if you have to search out the business, having a logo floating in your consciousness won't be enough to motivate you.

Even if branding alone could drive business, how long will it be before that logo or slogan or jingle has left your memory forever? A few hours? A day?

One of the basic requirements for branding is repetition. Numerous repetitions. Like seeing the little Microsoft flag every single day, in the lower left corner of your screen, on your computer's case, in magazine advertisements and on television commercials.

One visit to your website or one glimpse of your advertisement won't accomplish this

Small Business And Branding - Why And How?

--> Small Business And Branding - Why And How?

When we speak of branding most of the time people try to relate it to big business house, however, the fact is that every business needs to establish their brand in order to survive the competition. This is nothing new; experts and management gurus had been preaching the same sermon for years now but what they have not told is why you need to brand your small business? How is branding going to help you to establish your business? How can you establish your brand without spending a fortune on it?

You might be having a very small business but would you like your client to perceive your business as a small time entrepreneurial effort? Definitely not, and your business cards, letterheads and other marketing collaterals does just that. They create an impression to your clients that you are an established business house of considerable strength and not just a mom-n-pop shop.

While you have read till this much, you might have started to plan to get a few home printed business cards or visit the website where you saw the preformatted business cards being sold for peanuts. Beware! The quality of your business card is an indication of the status of your business and your clients are intelligent enough to understand the difference between a standard designed perforated business card and a professionally designed business card printed on good quality card stock.

Most of us, including you, would prefer to consider the stability of a company before making a purchase decision. Once you have established your brand with a professionally designed logo, business card and other marketing efforts it becomes much easier for you to build your credibility among the customers.

Getting a professionally designed custom logo is one of the very important elements of branding a business. A logo is not just a symbol or a piece of graphics; it is actually your corporate identity. A properly designed logo can leave long lasting impression on your clients and will never let your business slip out of their minds. It also makes your business easily recognizable. Just think, wherever you see the Golden M of McDonald's do you really need to think twice, what company is that referring to? A good logo should ideally exude the nature and attitude of the business.

Once you have got a logo for yourself it becomes easier for you to establish your brand. You can use that logo in your business cards, letterheads and other accessories. Don't you think it is going to make a difference if the pack that you use to deliver your products to your customer has the logo of your company on it? And if you are using a reusable pack, your customer might just use the same pack to pass on some other goods to one of his friends- what happens then? Yes! Your logo gets noticed by one other person, you add one more name to the list of your potential customers. You are on your way to establish your own brand.

Similarly with business cards, as they get passed on from one person to the other, more and more people knows about your business and the potential customer base increases.

Having a business card or professionally designed logo also shows your commitment towards your business.

A short, easy to remember punch line is another useful tool for branding. Getting a tag line printed on your business cards or your business stationery makes it easier for people to understand the nature of your business. Ideally, your tag line should not only say about what you do but also speak about your USP.

Having said all that, the ultimate question that most of the small business people would have is, how much does it cost to get all these things done? I'd say, "not much". Money is always a problem for most of the small businesses (that's why they are small, otherwise most of us would like to open a Microsoft and be as rich as Bill Gates) but if you know where to look for, you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a professionally designed logo or a business card. There are loads of websites that offer them really cheap and some even allow you to decide the price that you want to pay. (Check out this twin sites, http://www.mycorporatelogo.com and http://www.mycorporateidentity.com ).

So, if you think you are tired of being a "small business" and its time to grow up, take the first step; establish your brand!

Side-Step The Big Business Branding Techniques That'll

--> Side-Step The Big Business Branding Techniques That'll From the e-mail I've been receiving lately, it's clear there
is a lot of confusion surrounding the topic of online
branding.

Nike, Coke-Cola, Budweiser, McDonalds, Levi's, Amazon.com...
these are the branding masters. Now the question is, HOW
CAN YOU MODEL THEIR SUCCESS?

These days, online branding is being preached as one of the
big "Do or Die" marketing strategies. So everyone wants to
brand their e-business -- but no one is exactly sure what
branding is, how it's done, or where to start.

What is branding, anyway?

Branding is about building a COMPELLING ASSOCIATION
between...

A) Your company, your logo, your products, etc.

AND

B) An image, an emotion, or a memorable message that
embodies -- implicitly or explicitly -- the BIGGEST
BENEFIT you have to offer your customers.

Effective branding creates the kind of FIERCE PRODUCT
LOYALTY that leaves customers indifferent to the marketing
tactics of the competition.

It's what compels you to walk past all of those no-name-
brand on-sale colas at the local grocery store and pick up
the 6-pack of Coca-Cola that costs three times more. It's
what makes children plead and beg to go back to McDonalds
again and again. And it's what has made the phrase "Just Do
It" synonymous with Nike.

Say "Amazon.com," and people think of "The Earth's Biggest
Bookstore." Go to Burger King because you can "Have It Your
Way." Buy Energizer batteries because they "Just keep
going, and going, and going." And "When you care enough to
send the very best," send a Hallmark card.

But the slogans and taglines are only part of it. Think of
the Hallmark commercials. These tearjerker mini-dramas are
built around love and family values, ending with someone
showing they "care enough" by giving a loved-one a Hallmark
card. THEY EVOKE STRONG EMOTIONS THAT DRIVE THEIR SLOGAN
HOME.

And think about the Nike logo -- the "Swoosh" that
represents the wing of the Greek goddess Nike, the
personification of victory. While it's probably safe to say
that the majority of people are unaware of its mythological
significance, THEIR LOGO HOLDS JUST AS MUCH MEANING AS THEIR
NAME.

It's all very impressive, right? Well... yes. But before
you jump on the bandwagon, let's take a realistic look at
the "big branding picture" to see where your small or home-
based e-business fits into this.

First, let's debunk the THREE MAJOR BRANDING MYTHS I
frequently encounter...

MYTH #1:
I need to make my company or product a household name.

TRUTH:
You'll be most successful and most profitable if you
CLOSELY TARGET YOUR MARKET! Focus on getting your business
name and your advertising in front of your best potential
customers -- the people who have an expressed interest in
what you're offering -- as opposed to everyone!

MYTH #2:
Branding my business online means buying thousands of
dollars worth of high-visibility banner impressions.

TRUTH:
Banner advertising just isn't as profitable as it once was.
Ads that once pulled 5% to 10% click-throughs are now lucky
to pull 0.6% to 0.8%, if even that.

You'll be far more successful if you focus your limited
advertising dollars on more performance-based advertising.
Pay for customers... not overpriced, unproven advertising.

MYTH #3:
I'll need to spend a lot of money if I want to gain
brand recognition.

TRUTH:
There are plenty of free and low-cost techniques that
you can use to brand your e-business.

If you're a small or home-based business then, chances are,
you don't have the millions of advertising dollars it takes
to build a nationally recognized brand and make your company
a household name -- at least not yet!

So let's SKIP THE HIGH-PRICED LARGE CORPORATE BRANDING
TECHNIQUES that I'm seeing pushed everywhere I look...

-- after all, these strategies simply don't translate
to e-businesses with limited advertising budgets --

... and instead, let me give you some practical information.

COST-EFFECTIVE BRANDING TECHNIQUES
THAT YOU CAN START USING TODAY:

1) DEVELOP A STRONG UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION

Imagine yourself sitting across the table from your best
potential customer. In one sentence -- one very short
sentence -- clearly communicate how he or she will benefit
from doing business with you.

Your message should be clear, the language simple, and it
should be easy to remember. There's no room for wordy
corporate mumbo jumbo here.

I know this is a pretty tall order... but your hours of
agonizing, writing, brainstorming, and rewriting will pay
off in the end. This will be the message that your market
will identify you by and associate you with.

2) TARGET YOUR MARKET

The beauty of running an online business is that you can
reach literally hundreds of thousands of targeted potential
customers all over the world -- people who want to buy what
you're selling -- for little or no cost.

It's what has made it possible for small and home-based
business owners like you to take the Internet by storm and
MAKE OUTRAGEOUS PROFITS WITH VERY LIMITED ADVERTISING
BUDGETS.

Why would you turn a blind eye to this CRITICAL ADVANTAGE by
spreading your limited advertising dollars across the entire
web -- trying to sell your product to everyone -- instead of
focusing on those people who want to buy from you?

It just doesn't make sense.

So I know I've already mentioned this, but it's worth saying
again. It's ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that you target your
market.

3) WHENEVER POSSIBLE, MAKE YOUR MESSAGE INTERACTIVE

If you can compel people to actively engage your marketing
message rather than passively hear or view it, you'll
dramatically increase the probability that they're going to
absorb it, remember it, and repeat it.

One of the best ways to make your marketing message
interactive is through VIRAL MARKETING. To read a previous
Marketing Tips article that explains exactly what you can do
to make your marketing message viral, visit...
http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletter/issue33/page1.html

4 ) BE CONSISTENT IN VOICE, FORMAT, AND DELIVERY

In order to engrave your brand in the minds of your target
market, you need to consistently repeat your message to
them...

* DESIGN A SIGNATURE FILE that contains your message and
attach it to the end of every e-mail you send. It costs
you nothing and it's an easy, effective way to repeat
your message to those people you have direct contact
with -- your best potential and repeat customers!

* Your web site design, logos, and graphics should, if
possible, VISUALLY EMPHASIZE AND REINFORCE your message.
Check out the McDonald's web site at http://www.mcdonalds.com
Does that yellow and red look familiar? Think about how
you can similarly use your web site design to further
impress your brand in the memory of your visitors.

* Your NEWSLETTER CONTENT AND YOUR WEB SITE CONTENT should
all ultimately contribute to your marketing message.
There is no room for distractions like articles or links
that don't move you towards your main goal (to sell your
product, remember?).

5) NURTURE EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS AND
SUBSCRIBERS

If they already know you, if they're already familiar with
who you are and what you do, if they've already bought
something from you, then you should be building on these
existing relationships.

MAINTAIN REGULAR CONTACT VIA E-MAIL (it's free!), and
consistently remind them who you are, what you do, and most
importantly, how they stand to benefit from continuing to do
business with you.

If you play your cards right, not only will you PROFIT FROM
THEIR REPEAT BUSINESS, you may also persuade them to "spread
the good word" to others with similar interests.

6) BE VISIBLE TO YOUR BEST POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

A big part of branding is obviously about getting your name
in front of your best potential customers, so that when the
time comes for them to buy, THEY'LL CHOOSE YOU OVER THE
COMPETITION!

Here are a few powerful ways that you can do this...

* WRITE ARTICLES that contain information that will be of
interest to your target market and then offer them to
industry newsletters and web sites free of charge. Web
masters and editors will appreciate the free, quality
content, and you'll get your name and URL in front of
your target market.

* PARTICIPATE IN NEWSGROUPS AND DISCUSSION FORUMS where
your target market hangs out. This is an easy, no-cost
way to develop your reputation as an industry expert.
Simply make yourself available to answer questions and
provide participants with information that they will value.

* SUBMIT YOUR WEB SITE TO THE SEARCH ENGINES AND
DIRECTORIES. Also be sure to search for directories that
are geared towards your industry and request a listing.

* REQUEST LINKS FROM SITES WHERE YOUR TARGET MARKET MEETS.
This is not only a great way to increase your visibility,
it's also an extremely powerful way to attract large
volumes of highly targeted traffic -- yet it's frequently
dismissed or overlooked!

* USE BANNER ADVERTISING - IN MODERATION! With well-
designed banners and a targeted ad campaign, you CAN
make money with banner advertising. Just be sure to
educate yourself on the latest, most cutting-edge banner
techniques before getting started.

To read an article on designing effective banners that
really work, visit...
http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletter/issue35/page1.html

* START YOUR OWN AFFILIATE PROGRAM. With your own
Affiliate Program, you can enlist an army of affiliates
who will spread your name and your marketing message
across the web -- and you don't pay them a cent until
they make a sale.

To read an article on how you can start and profit from
your very own Affiliate Program, visit...
http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletter/issue19/index.html

DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL:

With branding being hyped as one of *the* marketing
strategies to pursue right now, I worry that some of you
may be steered off-track.

While it's a good idea to be aware of and actively direct
how your e-business is being branded, remember that there is
a key difference between creating awareness and actually
closing sales.

Given the innumerable marketing strategies that you can use
to simultaneously create brand awareness AND draw targeted
traffic to your web site, there is no reason for you to be
spending your limited advertising dollars on branding
techniques that don't return a significant profit.

Avoid being sucked in by the myth that the entire web needs
to know who you are. Focus on your target market and
realize that most forms of traffic generation ultimately
enhance awareness of your brand.

You are spelling out your brand message, directly and
indirectly, with everything that you do, say, and sell.

Shattering the Branding Myths

--> Shattering the Branding Myths If you've been online long, you're sure to have seen many "gurus" give their ideas about branding. However, much of what you read simply isn't true. Over the years, many myths about branding have taken hold in the online world and spread like wildfire. The fact is: They are doing you more harm than good.

Branding is not one aspect of your marketing campaign. It is the combination of everything your business stands for. Branding is not created with a single, stand-alone event -- rather it is created over time through a series of strategically thought-out actions.

Let's take a few minutes to shatter a few common myths about branding and to introduce constructive, proactive branding principles that you can build on.

Branding Myth #1 - Your USP Is Your Brand

Absolutely not. While your USP (Unique Selling Position) might be used to help convey your brand, it is not - in and of itself - your complete branding strategy.

Branding Principle #1 - Your Brand Is All Encompassing

Your brand is built, and conveyed, with every action you take, with every product/service you offer, with every piece of communication you send, and with every contact you make with your customers.

Branding Myth #2 - To Be Remembered, You Must Have A Logo

Also not true. Look at companies like Marlboro (cigarettes), Puffs (tissue), and Ziploc (plastic bags). They simply use a specialized font with the product name. No swirls, no images, no "logo." While logos certainly are not "bad," they are also not mandatory.

Branding Principle #2 - Customers Remember You Primarily By How They Are Treated

The most innovative logo, the most attractive colors, and the world's best logo designer will do you no good if you don't offer excellent service. Customers remember you and your company by the way they are treated. Was their shopping experience good? Were all their questions answered? Were their problems solved to their satisfaction? These things go way further to help customers remember you than any logo could ever hope to.

Branding Myth #3 - Once Your Branding Strategy Is In Place, You Need Do Nothing More

This is probably the biggest myth of them all! So many online businesses are led to believe that once they have an amazing USP, and a snappy logo they have accomplished everything in the realm of branding.

However, just the opposite is true. Your branding strategy is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Defining your strategy is just one part of that process.

Here are some basic tips to help you define and implement your brand.

1. Decide how you want to be perceived by your customers. Do you want to portray an image of trust? Loyalty? Dependability? Innovation? Wide selection? Speedy service &

Pharmaceutical Branding

--> Pharmaceutical Branding

Branding is such an important aspect of business that even apparently boring products such as pharmaceutical products, drugs and medicines become interesting and exciting.

Pharmaceutical industry branding is immature compared with the consumer and business-to-business segments

Personal Branding Techniques for Real Estate Agents and Brok

--> Personal Branding Techniques for Real Estate Agents and Brok

A key principle of marketing is to find something unique about what you offer as the basis of your sales message. Even if what you offer is a commodity, there is always one thing unique in your business -- you. A big error made by many Real Estate Agents and Brokers is to try to develop an institutional image like most big companies. People do not like to do business with institutions; they like to do business with people. In advertising terms, branding is the "image" created in the minds of people when they see or hear a name, product or logo. Companies invest a lot of money in creating and maintaining their brand, but the Internet has sparked a new trend called "Personal Branding". Personal branding isn't only important for promoting a product, business or political cause, but also for promoting yourself for advancement within your own organization. It involves developing your personal reputation. Branding can be done to any product, or any person. Before undertaking an exercise in personal branding, however, consider your distinctive strengths and abilities and what they offer the market place. Traditionally personal branding was for sporting celebrities who gained enormous coverage and following through their sporting prowess. Movie stars have also had celebrity status and association since movies began.

A personal brand is about creating strong, favorable associations in the minds of people that you encounter. If you don’t actively do this, they will still make associations. Therefore, it may be better to be proactive and undertake the branding exercise for yourself, you cannot control what they think but can give them some information to assist with the associations.

WHY BRANDING OURSELVES?

• Places you in a leadership role
  

• Enhances prestige
  

• Attracts the right people and right opportunities
  

• Adds perceived value to what you are selling
  

• Earns recognition
  

• Associates you with a trend
  

• Increases your earning potential
  

• Differentiate yourself from the competition
  

• Position your focused message in the hearts and minds of your target customers
  

• Confers top of mind status
  

• Increases authority and credence of decisions
  
  

  HOW DO WE BRAND OURSELVES?
  

  Like any branding exercise, the key to personal branding is having a good product, one which you understand and pitch to the right market. The first step in personal branding is knowing who you are, find out what strengths your brand possesses and how these strengths can help you. Personal branding is not about presenting a façade to the public; a poor product will not stand up to market scrutiny. This is also a choice of brand elements, people you deal with, the look that you have, and how you conduct yourself. Once this has been done, determine what you are going to offer. As a product what do you do, what need does the product of you satisfy in the market. Next figure out the position you will take in the audience of your mind. What unique space do you wish to occupy and what unique associations do you want people to recall when they think of you? Finally, once you have established the first three steps, manage your brand over its lifecycle. That is keep visible, be consistent and be yourself. According to Montoya, the well-known personal branding guru, the key to managing your personal brand is word-of-mouth (WOM), the most trusted form of communication.
  

  How does one go about building a personal brand? Recognize your personal strengths and gifts! Think about how you best connect with people, consider what your target audience needs and wants, identify the value you deliver to meet those needs and wants, and communicate in a way that reaches your constituents in their hearts and minds and via the channels that work best for you
  

  Functional associations are important such as timeliness, quality, dedication; as are emotional associations like inspiring, leadership, being an innovator.
  

  The three C’s of personal branding are clarity, consistency and constancy.
  

  Clarity deals with being honest about yourself and your strengths and promises of value attached to your personal brand and being clear in the way you communicate them. Often, for simplicity, you must focus on one or two aspects that are most vital and focus on communicating them. Think about the things you associate with prominent artists or mangers, and they are unlikely to be complicated.
  

  Consistency is keeping things consistent for the customers. This does not mean staying stuck in the past, but just not undertaking drastic changes. Coca Cola have had a consistent message for 50 years; the message evolves continuously and is not stagnant but is consistent. Artists like Madonna change every three or four years, but there is a consistency to the change.
  

  Constancy means being visible with your brand and maintaining an on-going level of awareness in the marketplace. Oprah Winfrey is visible constantly, and although most of people do not have the visibility or exposure of Oprah, they can still be visible in a smaller audience. There is no point trying to build a brand image quickly to coincide with a new exhibition or performance you may have coming up – brands take time to build in consumers minds.
  

  A FREE PERSONAL BRANDING TOOLKIT FOR REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS
  

  NetReal.net, a company noted for its template-based Real Estate Web design solutions, offers a Winter Holidays Gift for Real Estate Agents and Brokers – the Personal Branding Toolkit: http://www.netreal.net/personal_branding.php The Personal Branding Toolkit contains the “Essential Marketing for Real Estate Professionals” ebook and 17 Real Estate Reports and the tools to personalize them with your name, contact info and photo.
  

  NetReal’s editorial team put together the top 25 highest- rated Real Estate marketing articles of 2004, and created a must-have e-book - “Essential Marketing for Real Estate Professionals”. The ebook covers Marketing 101 , Network marketing, Personal Marketing, Customer acquisition and retention, Telemarketing & Direct Mailing, E-marketing. You can personalize this e-book with your data and send it to your contacts, absolutely free of charge. This is a great way to offer a helpful gift to your colleagues and partners.
  

  The “17 free Branded Reports” allow you to create your own branded Real Estate reports (for buyers, sellers, investors, movers) with your contact info and photo/logo and an exquisite design. Distribute them to your prospects or clients as e-docs or printed materials, or upload them on your website. Show your professionalism with these great tools to acquire new clients.
  

  The Personal Branding Toolkit for Real Estate Professionals (http://www.netreal.net/personal_branding.php) is free for everyone.
  

  Dan R. Vella is marketing editor for NetReal.net. NetReal.net (www.netreal.net) is a privately-owned company providing real estate web sites and marketing solutions for real estate industry, focusing especially on the low-cost end, and empowering the real-estate agents through the use to Internet technologies with the most affordable costs.

  webrealtor@gmail.com

POSITIVE COMPANY BRANDING

--> POSITIVE COMPANY BRANDING Company branding is one of the most important components of your marketing plan, particularly when you are making an effort to establish your company's position in the marketplace. Identity, differentiation, and reputation are all part of the company branding package. How people perceive your company largely relates to how effective you brand is and how it is portrayed, recognized, respected and remembered in the community both with existing and potential customers. A brand is so much more than a name or a logo.

A brand is essentially a way of communicating a promise or an exchange between you and your customers. It is a way of you communicating to your customer who you are and what you promise to deliver to them.

Company branding helps to gear up your advertising. When people are familiar with your company name, logo, products and your brand, they try to relate with association. This is helpful when you place a commercial or a print advertisement, as the people would easily connect to the company with this brand name. You can just concentrate on one thing and that is, selling your products.

When people start recognizing your logo, and come to know the great practices your company stands for, then they will rely and associate with the products as well. You have to create a niche for yourself first and then things will be easier for you. It takes a significant amount of effort to market your products and this need to be sustained over a relatively long period of time. This is where you need to consult the agency to assist you.

So, right from the very beginning, you have to work towards building a strong brand and creating brand awareness. If you have a strong brand presence, people will automatically be drawn to you when they are looking for that particular product. This is what every business aims to achieve - an automated customer.

Nation Branding and Place Marketing - The Place

--> Nation Branding and Place Marketing - The Place IV. The Place

Some countries are geographically disadvantaged. Recent studies have demonstrated how being landlocked or having a tropical climate carry a hefty price tag in terms of reduced economic growth. These unfavorable circumstances can be described as "natural discounts" to a country's price.

What can be done to overcome such negative factor endowments?

In classical microeconomics, the element of "place" in the marketing plan used to refer to the locus of delivery of the product or service. Well into the 19th century, the "place" was identical to the region where the product was manufactured or the service rendered. In other words, textiles weaved in India were rarely sold in Britain. American accountants were unlikely to practice in Russia. Distribution was a local affair and networks of dissemination and marketing were geographically confined.

A host of historical and technological developments drastically altered the scene and frayed the straitjacket of geography.

The violent disintegration of the old system of geopolitical alliances led to the formation of massive, multiplayer trading blocs within which and among which the movement of goods and, increasingly, services is friction-free.

The vast increase in the world's population - matched by the exponential rise in purchasing power - created a global marketplace of unprecedented wealth and a corresponding hunger for goods and services. The triumph of liberal capitalism compounded this beneficial effect.

The advent of mass media, mass transport, and mass communications reduced transaction costs and barriers to entry. The world shrank to become a veritable "global village".

The value of knowledge (processed information) has fast risen to surpass that of classical (physical) goods and services. Information has some of the properties of a public good (for instance, nonrivalry) - coupled with all the incentives of a private good (e.g., profit-making).

Thus, the very nature of distribution had been irrevocably changed. The distribution channel, the path from producer to consumer (in our case, from country to foreign investor or tourist, for example) is less encumbered by topography than it used to be.

Even the poorest, most remote, landlocked, arid, and disadvantaged country can nowadays leverage air flight, the Internet, television, cell phones, and other miracles of technology to promote itself and its unique offerings (knowledge, plant and animal species, scenery, history, minerals, cheap and educated manpower, cuisine, textiles, software, and so on).

The key to success is in a mix of both direct and indirect marketing. Nowadays, countries can (and do) appeal directly to consumers (ads targeted at tourists or road shows aimed at investors). They present themselves and what they have to offer, circumventing brokers and agents of all kinds (disintermediation). Still, they should not fail to cultivate more traditional marketing channels such as investment banks, travel agents, multilateral organizations, or trade associations.

With many of the physical obstacles to marketing removed in the last few decades, with the very concept of "place" rendered obsolete, promotion emerged as the most critical facet of nation branding and place marketing.

Magnetic Branding - How to Attract vs. Acquire Customers

--> Magnetic Branding - How to Attract vs. Acquire Customers What makes a company brand magnetic -- one that seems to effortlessly attract customers, revenue, media attention and employees alike? It only requires a look at nature itself to discover the answers. Invisible forces such as magnetism and gravity have a constant influence on our lives. They govern us without our awareness of their presence. Their enegies are not overt and go largely unnoticed, yet they govern so much of what we do.

Just as in science, magnetic companies and brands are ones that are aligned and "pulling" in the same direction. Magnetism works when electrons are charged and line up in the same direction. In much the same way, when businesses are charged behind a unified and coherent message, employees and customers alike will begin to align themselves to that vision. The target customer is no longer a "target", since they begin to find you. The emphasis slowly shifts from atrificially capturing customers to naturally attracting them.

Magnetism then comes from a distilled and powerful sense of purpose. This purpose revirberates throughout the organization and intuitvely instructs the organization's members to act and behave in ways that promote this vision. The cost of top down driven, internal messaging is greatly reduced. The process becomes more natural, more fluid and instinctive.

So is this purpose the same as a mission statement or brand strategy?

Yes and no. Most mission statements are written in boardrooms and sit in nice plaques on the walls. Purpose is something that comes from the heart, and it needs to come from the heart of top management. Again, this is about alignment, and if top management is all about maximizing the bottom line, it cannot create a magnetic company whose mission statement expounds the virtues of altruistic, self sacrificing service. It just won't vibrate, resonate and ultimately attract the desired customer. So you can also say magnetic companies are genuine in nature. Their values are consistant at all levels of the organization. Profit then becomes a natural byproduct of doing what the company believes in, whether it's delivering on price, quality or service.

How does a company find its purpose? It's already there, waiting to be acknowledged and promoted. For example, many owners I've dealt with felt passionate about their quality, but also felt compelled and pressured to compete based on price. They are brainwashed by their sales force or other outside influences to believe they can only compete by selling for less. When these company presidents/owners begin to realize there is an audience that doesn't buy on price alone, they become emboldend and that energy translates throughout the company- enegizing everyone. Soon "the talk" is about product quality and innovatioins, new customers appear and old (time consuming, complaining, incongruent) ones begin to leave. The company, the brand, the image, begin to align and "pull" in a quiet but powerful way.

An Optometrist came to me years ago, desparte to create an image of speedy service, to combat the one hour vision centers that were devouring the market. When I asked him how long it took him to provide the service, his reply was "one week, but I think I can get it down to three days". Someone looking for glasses in one hour is not going to be thrilled with waiting three days. So I designed a campaign with a headline that read "We take time." It went on to extoll the vital role of vison in our lives and why it's important to wait to make sure an eyeglass prescription is done right by a professional. The doctor felt I had completely missed his point, but he trusted my judgement and ran the campaign. The phone began to ring and one lady said "I haven't had my prescription filled because I was waiting to find someone who took more than one hour to 'grind' my glasses". He has run the ad for over 15 years and "taking the time" has now become his position in the market. His revenue, share and bottom line all increased when he became comfortable and congruent with who he was and what he did best- regardless of the market.

Transforming a company or brand from mediocre to magnetic requires refocusing on the passion that created it and aligning all else around it. Rather than chasing the market, the market will find you. And that makes work, and life in general, much more attractive.

Keywords (a waste)! Branding Comes First!

--> Keywords (a waste)! Branding Comes First! Keywords, Keywords, Keywords... establishing an internet presence is said to be all about controling the hot keywords. But the fact of the matter is that establishing your company as an industry leader is much more important.

I did a little research on the keywords used by large companies and found that keywords were really secondary to having a great brand identity.

Coke.com uses a total of 3 key words, Saddleback Church uses just 2. Can you guess what they are?

Building a great business and letting people know about it through traditional methods can drive business to your site and is far more cost effective than pay per click. Pay per click is like having a store on Main Street and being charged for everyone who looks in the window of your shop. Would you let a city do that?
What if the newspapers charged you for everyone who read your ad in the paper whether they purchased from you or not?

Focus on developing your business reputation and customer service, tell everyone you meet to check out your website, then give them services on the site that are useful, entertaining, interesting and are updated frequently.

Why do you have a website? Internet customers are great but they are tremendously fickle. Not only that most are just surfers. What if you owned a business in a mall and the mall charged you for everyone who entered your store would you bid against a similar store in the mall to be charged a higher price for every person who walked by your window?

Just as Las Vegas Casinos are the winners and gamblers are the losers. Search engines are the winners pay per click clients are the losers.

The popularity of Saddleback Church is the result of marketing technique that is totally and completly dependant on building relationships from small groups. The church has 2,600 links on Google, 17,100 on Yahoo (Alta Vista) but these links were not purchased or created on link sites. They come from real people who have heard about the church and are interested in the product. Coke has 10,200 links on Google and 18,000 on MSN do you think they purchased those links. Look for Coke under the key word soda or carbonated drinks they aren't even in the top 50.

These are companies that have worked to create their business first and the website followed.

Go to www.sitereportcard.com and check out the keywords used by Coke and Saddleback Church. I don't think you will be surprised. They have built a name in their respective communities and can be found on the internet by that name. No 499 keywords, no pay per click, no cons or traps.... just good business branding and great reputations.

If you want to see if your keywords are effective check out Wordtracker.com

Internet marketing and keyword search - why branding should

--> Internet marketing and keyword search - why branding should Online marketers are busy mapping that magical space where the overlap between real life and the internet is at its most poignant. Where else would they be looking than where real people are actually s p e l l i n g out what they are planning to buy - searches on the web?

Every online marketer does it. Buying keywords like crazy. But that is just about how much you hear when you try to focus on this area of internet marketing. It's a wild goose chase and it's unlikely a method will materialize in any recognizable form until the dust has settled. If it ever will.

The keyword business is about the most competitive business transacted over the web, so -as with most of the information on web related business- it's unlikely you will come across any lengthy piece with a comprehensive overview of what's going on where.

It's somewhat ironic that it's live and learn because in theory, the marketing community should be in its walhalla with the arrival of the internet. Hasn't it been the marketing dream for centuries to get to the stage where a potential customer takes an action? At the end of a marketing ploy, in offline terms it's called the hit, the transaction, the sale, closing the deal.

The specifics of keyword buying may be intransparent, but slowly more information is being gathered about the process of online buying. It is striking that this is not exactly a reversal, from the offline process, but slightly. From the beginning onward, the marketer can count on a lot more commitment from his potential customer simply because targeting is so much more specific if the process kicks off with the customer's action.

Keyword marketing is much more powerful compared to the offline marketing techniques, simply because it is the customer's actions that set off the spiral.

To forego the keyword search as a marketer means you miss out one vital element in the communication cycle your client goes through before purchasing a product. Inefficient marketing was mainly the issue leading to the demise of the dotcom sector earlier on and, having learnt their lesson the hard way, marketers are now finding out more about what customers really want before launching campaigns. From the customer's own words. Sounds great in theory. In practice, the landscape is bewildering to say the least.

Having the rights to certain keywords means you are dominating the results that search engines will present to people who type in those words. What is so great about this is that unlike in the real world, online marketers have way more insight into what makes people buy. Because they have access to what actions customers take even before they would be onto them had they been in the offline world.

Mountains of gold on the horizon. But the sector is still showing a lot of vulnerability and online marketing is in dire need of improvement simply because the phenomenon is so new. The big advantage to customers is that people can find what they are looking for faster and more efficiently than on any other medium. But still the gap between what customers are specifically looking on the web for and what they are offered is considerable.

Customers are too often puzzled, searching a product on the web and finding lists of items with brands totally alien to them. If an online campaign is not backed by offline action, its chance of survival will drop dramatically. Many product campaigns are faltering because adverts are simply being thrown in a surfer's face in irrelevant contexts, they are annoying or ill timed.

ONE big area where online marketers are not taking enough heed of the expertise of their offline peers and where they might lose the battle, is branding. Too much direct mail-type marketing means that credible, trustworthy branding is unlikely to occur. Type in a generic search term for a product and find yourself amazed at the outcome. Reading the results, you'd think you'd landed on Mars.

Branding the old fashioned way is a lot more time consuming than any internet marketer will naturally be inclined to think. Branding is an exercise of timing, planning, researching and optimised launches. It takes time before people are used to new products. Psychological studies confirm time and again that we buy what we think is safe, comfy, familiar, nice, soft, handy, easy, whatever the word to indicate a certain comfort zone that creates an entry for marketers. It's a known fact that you first need to see a product about umpteen times before it has become a part of your reference frame. If you don't believe this, move to a foreign country, visit a supermarket and try not to feel totally lost. It's impossible.

Only if we are familiar with a product brand, we think that purchasing it will better us. If we don't have at least a vague positive idea when we purchase a product, no brand building has been done or not enough or it has not connected with us.

Although branding of products offered online is something quite new, it is quite amazing that outright stupid mistakes are made here. Where online marketers are often wrong is where they are measuring search engine advertising the way they would direct marketing. True, much of search engine advertising resembles direct marketing, but realistic measurement of people's attitude towards the products advertised, should include more than only whether or not they buy it. Brand measurement takes place when all the responses are analysed, even why a product is not purchased or not immediately or not at a specific platform.

In forgetting to measure any customer behavior outside the conversion rate, they completely forego the power of branding. They don't realize how much greater click through and conversion rates would be if their brands were recognized and trusted by that same audience.

Here is an example of just how effective a campaign can be when branding's taken seriously. The marketers have got it so right, that their campaigns themselves have become an overnight brand known for controversy. Called Gatoring, after the company that made the software enabling it, this advertising has come under scrutiny of the courts. What people are upset with is that popup ads are thrown on competitors' sites. If are looking for a particular brand of car for instance, a popup of a competing brand would pop up. Despite its dubiousness, gatoring shows just how effective online marketing can be - when marketers do their homework.

Internet Business Branding (Co-Branded)

--> Internet Business Branding (Co-Branded)

Branding Affiliate websites is an area that is creating a lot of money for many larger companies that offer affiliate programs. This is how it works you sign up as an affiliate and choose a template that has the look at feel that you like and your identity is promoted while the hosting company remains virtually invisible and undetectable to the consumer. Consumers will think they are ordering directly from your website. Branding Affilaites programs are designed to enable just about any website the opportunity to offer e-commerce with variety of different products and services.

The idea behind branding is to give website owners the opportunity to offer products and services, without even having to stick the items. With the technology available today Branding Affiliates are now able to match their products and services that they choose to offer in their stores to their existing website, with even more transparency.

By offering services such as this big companies get the opportunity to drive traffic to the branging affiliates, with transparency being the key element. This allows everyone involved to make money. Many of the other affiliate programs, do not send traffic back to the affiliate sites. Branded Affiliate programs provide additional traffic through other marketing methods as well. The goal is to help the affiliate make money while they make money.

By selecting a store template the affiliate can make their store match their website so there is very little difference between the two when going back and forth. You have the opportunity to choose color schemes, page alignment, upload your logo. Many branded sites allow you to select up to 30 items to place in your online store. We highly recommend that you choose products and services that relate directly to your website. This will allow your visitors to your site to possibly convert to buyers. Branding Affiliates have the ability to change the selected items and modify the look and feel of their stores whenever they feel the need to.

By offering services such as the ones above, this allows for a better working relationship between the affiliate and the company they are working with. Having worked with branded sites myself, it is clear that they are out to help you in any way they can by providing the best support and services. If you have ever though about working with a company that uses branded sites, now is the time to join in. You are bound to make money if you are willing to promote your site and help to get the people there.

Remember your success will depend on the effort that you put in. However here's the eBook that can help you.http://www.webquartet.com/befamous

Internet Branding

--> Internet Branding Internet Branding
by
H. Vanoy Barton

In the beginning there was traffic. It was easy to come by in 1993. Publish a web site and the entire web world would know about it and visit within a month. In fact in the days of yore one could visit every site on the Web. I know. I've done it several times.

And the offline saw that traffic was good and they came - by the millions. Thereafter publish a web site and you would be lucky to have any hits other than your own development hits within a month. And the people knew that traffic was good, yet they had little, or none. Challenge spawns opportunity. Hence directories and search engines arose and the people rejoiced for the millions could now be found. And so the first iteration of the Web passed and the found and the lost were as one - eventually indexed.

Commerce and competition arose, as it always does with every technological advance, business models decried the wild west confusion of the web and mandated order and profit. And the traffic remained good yet the people lamented because the ecumenical nature of traffic was replaced by the bought and the paid for. And the major brands rejoiced for the traffic was good and it could be bought, tamed and redirected. Yet, throughout it all the pioneers and the foolhardy and the diligent and the brave remained steadfast, for they had become digital in their outlook and on was the state of the Web. The traffic increased, though not for all. Traffic is the river that always flows. And so the second iteration of the Web passed and the lost were further still and the found paid with money or arduous labor.

And the third iteration dawned and Google became the word bandied throughout the land. The clouds thickened for many and cleared for some, a new term arose in the digital land, although long a staple in the of the analog. The term is brand and the nature of it will continue with the next episode.

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copyright 2005 H. Vanoy Barton. You are free to utilize this article on your website or ezine as long as no changes are made to article, author byline is included and the following live link is included:

Article courtesy of This Is Info http://www.thisisinfo.com

Industry Pro Interview: Branding - Turning Your Customers I

--> Industry Pro Interview: Branding - Turning Your Customers I

by Karon Thackston 2001
http://www.ktamarketing.com

When you say the word "branding", most people think USP (unique selling proposition). However a USP is far from the equivalent of a brand as we're about to find out. What is branding? Is it just for "big boys"? And how the heck do you create one, anyway?

Rob Frankel (http://www.robfrankel.com) has been called "the best branding expert on the planet" and is author of "The Revenge of Brand X: How to Build Big Time Brand™ on the Web or Anywhere Else", (available at http://www.revengeofbrandx.com). He now shares some insights with us that will shed a little light on the branding mystery.

KARON: Thanks for your time, Rob. I know your schedule is packed.

ROB: You're welcome!

KARON: Well, let's start with the basics... everyone in the world has heard the term branding but it is still widely misunderstood. What is the basis of branding and - more importantly - why should a business care about it?

ROBFRANKEL: Branding is THE most misunderstood aspect of marketing. Here's the best example I can give. Just as you're more than a simple name and a face, a business is more than a name and a product. So a brand is as much the way you do things as what you do.

A business should care about it, because THAT'S the stuff that inspires loyalty and motivates people to evangelize the brand. That's where the money is, in more ways than you can imagine.

KARON: So for those who think branding is coming up with a USP and just plastering it all over everywhere... what would you say?

ROB: A couple of things: First, my own branding (Big Time Branding) is not about a USP at all. It's about a UBP... Unique Buying Proposition. THAT'S the problem with almost all brands -- they concentrate on what they have to sell instead of why people want to buy. Also, many confuse branding with advertising and PR. That's because old ad hacks try to pass themselves off as branding people. Fact is, "First you build the brand, then you raise its awareness."

The brand happens long before either advertising or PR... internally and externally.

KARON: Just like I might wear the same jeans and t-shirt as another woman but I'm very different inside. It's that difference that makes the brand.

ROB: Branding goes down to the core. In fact, I have a Ubiquitous Brand Test in my book: "Are we doing it the COMANY NAME way?" If the answer is no, you're not branded.

Here's another example: Can I send you $100,000 in cash?

KARON: Well of course you can!

ROB: I'd like to overnight it to you. Is that okay?

KARON: Sure it is!

ROB: Okay, but you have to pay for the shipping... you want me to send it US Post Office or FEDEX or what?

KARON: FEDEX

ROB: Most people say FEDEX... and rightly so. Because FEDEX has a brand image that communicates how they won't let the businessman down. And most people will gladly pay $15 more for the exact same service, even though they're basically the same. That $15 difference is pure branding profit.

KARON: Good Point! Now let me ask you this... how do you respond to the statement that branding is just for the big boys?

ROB: JUST THE OPPOSITE!!!! The less money you have, the stronger your brand has to be, because you rely more on your users evangelizing for you. The big boys have the WORST brands because they tend to buy their way out of their problems.

KARON: So, as small business owners, we have to have the complete package - we have to have it all together for our branding to "work"?

ROB: Of course. Remember, that the point of Big Time Branding is to "turn users into evangelists for your brand". Otherwise, what's the point?

KARON: So how do we do that? I realize it's a process and not a 2-step "thing", but give those that have done little or nothing with branding a starting point.

ROB: The problem is that branding has to be done from the outside in, because that's who the brand is for -- people who DON'T know you. Most business owners are too focused on what they've got to sell, not on how they can be "the best solution to other people's problems."

KARON: Boy do I agree 100% with you on that!! With copywriting (my specialty) it's the same way! If you don't know your target audience - can't really get inside their minds - your copy will just be a list of nicely worded facts.

ROB: Exactly!

KARON: OK... then tell me this... What is the most widely made mistake when trying to brand yourself or your product?

ROB: The most common mistake is not heeding the Prime Directive: "Branding is not about getting your prospects to choose you over your competition; it's about getting your prospects to see you as the only solution to their problem."

KARON: Amen to that!!

ROB: They just keep cutting their prices and thinking it's a sales or advertising issue. They keep looking in the wrong places.

KARON: And we know for a fact it is not pricing. That's why people pay $15 more for FEDEX. That's why people pay $68 for Liz Claiborne jeans instead of $25 for Lee.

ROB: Got that right!

KARON: Wow! Some good info here, Rob. I appreciate it very much. Well, any closing words of wisdom?

ROB: I would add that everyone out there is constantly selling, selling, selling. Big Time Brands know that while advertising grabs their minds, branding grabs their hearts. People invest their non-rational loyalties into brands that help them. Make a hero out of your user and you'll turn them into brand evangelists.

KARON: And since "most buying decisions are emotional", you have to hit 'em where they live :-)

ROB: Yeah, it's okay to build a business strategy where part of it is to have people like you!

****** Also, here's a Business Essentials Subscriber Freebie... you can visit http://www.RobFrankel.com/frankelaws.html for some inside information straight from Rob's book "The Revenge of Brand X".

Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Karon is Owner and President of KT & Associates who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing & ezine article services. Subscribe to KT & Associates' Ezine "Business Essentials" at
join-businessessentials@lyris1.listenvoy.com or visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com.