Build a better brand
by Allison Carter
Branding is an incredibly hard concept to define. Not because it’s complicated, but because people like to throw self-aggrandizing puffery and empty words like “synergy,” it becomes a thing of unfathomable mystery.
Contrary to popular belief, a brand is not simply a logo. Seth Godin has a long, but clear definition:
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.”
Ultimately, building a brand is about differentiating yourself from your competitors who provide similar goods or services. Take a look at Target and Wal-Mart: both are big box retailers. They both sell roughly the same merchandise. Yet their brands are vastly different. Target is hip and trendy, while Wal-Mart is the champion of the working man and moms everywhere.
Don’t limit your branding efforts to just a logo. Work to build a bond and a story with customers, and show them why your company will fit their needs better than any other.
Stop limiting your branding efforts to your logos and physical appearances–you need to tell consumers a story that will make them pick you over dozens of similar competitors.
Episode # 26 Meet Taylor Brough
This week I interviewed our graphic designer Taylor Brough. A graduate of The Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Art at Indiana University, Taylor brings a unique artistic style to our design projects.
In the last 18 months, he has truly masted the art of the WebBanner and the effective 6 x 9 postcard, but his favorite projects are definitely his logo designs:
Click here to listen to the interview
Roundpeg Goes Green
Over the past month, the Roundpeg team has been working with Mr. Tom Barrett on a new site for his company, Green Water Infrastructure. GWI is on the cutting edge of sustainable technology, and helps communities save money by 
developing efficient water conservation systems. Needless today, it was very exciting working with Tom on the website.
Mr. Barrett has a wealth of information on green technology and as a sought-after public speaker, knows how to effectively communicate ideas. One our challenges was to find ways to organize the information, and present the content in a way that would allow Tom to engage the visitors to his site. Rather than simply uploading Powerpoint presentations, we took select sides and asked Tom to write blog posts on specific topics. This allowed us to add some strong visuals to his blog, and break up the content into manageable pieces.
Tom had lots of exciting visual aids from his time spent giving presentations on the subject We were able to leverage those tools to provide context to the abstract concepts of economic conservation. We had the opportunity to work with a variety some of our favorite tools, as well as a few new ones during the site construction.
To increase engagement, we offered visitors the opportunity to download the entire presentation, using if they provide their email, allowing Tom to being building an email list of individuals interested in sustainable technology. To collect this information, we used the form-building tool Formspring. The tool allows us to build robust, useful forms on a website with a few simple clicks.
One of our favorite discoveries during the site construction was Slideshare. The service allows someone to upload a presentation and instantly creates a sleek, professional slideshow. What’s more, Slideshare allows you to easily embed any of your uploaded slideshows to your website.
We also found MobileMe to be extremely helpful as we transferred large files back and forth.
One of the biggest lessons I learned building this site was how many free and inexpensive tools are available to help small businesses look bigger.
Make sure to check out the new Green Water Infrastructure website when you get the chance!
Marketing, Media and Message
In the last year I have written several hundred posts about marketing, with a real emphasis on strategy. Why? Because I believe effective marketing is not just a slick campaign, but a well thought out strategy which brings together the 3M’s
- Market
- Message
- Media
For marketing to be effective these three elements must be in alignment.
Market: No matter how big you are, you can not afford try to sell to everyone. And even if you did have a large enough budget, the reality is some people are more likely then others to buy your product. So begin by focusing on a segment of the market. Select a profitable niche, and exceed their expectations.
Message: Now that you have identified your customer, what do you say to get their attention? Think about what is important to your customer, what keeps them up at night. Craft a message which addresses their concerns, not what you want to sell. I once had a finanial planner tell me what his customer wanted choices. I had a hard time imaging many consumers laying awake at night worrying about not having enough choices. … This was an important element to him, but not his clients. What keeps them awake? Worries about retirement and college tuition! My advice to him, stop talking about choices till you have their attention!
Media: In marketing, it is not just what you say, but where you say it. Ask yourself, where are your customers going for information? Select your media, based on the ability to reach a large concentration of your target. To do this, you have to really understand your target.
So what about your marketing? Do you have your 3M’s in alignment?
Need some help lining up your 3M’s? Join Matt Nettleton of Sandler Training Trustpointe and me for a conversation about how to transform Random Strangers to Raving Fans.
March 25, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Sandler Training Trustpointe Offices, 6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis
Fee: $29.99 Seating is limited, so be sure to register soon. Click here
What I Learned From Doug Edge – The Three “R”s of Entrepreneurship
Last week I had a chance to see my old friend Doug Edge as he presented to Rainmaker’s Incubators. A serial entrepreneur, Doug is one of the two founders of Rainmakers. (The one most people don’t know about.)
In his remarks, he shared the Three “R’s” of Entrepreneurship.
Research-from market surveys to interviews with other business owners, this is a critical first step for every entrepreneur.
Risk-you have to take chances, recognize you may lose your investment, so be sure you understand the risks up front, and be prepared. If you aren’t willing to take the risk, it is unlikely you will reap the rewards.
Reward-When it comes to being an entrepreneur, sometimes money is not the only, or most important reward. What you learn and who you meet along the way are important benefits you will take with you to your next venture if you are a true entrepreneur.
