Everyone in business wants to have an iconic and recognizable brand. We want to have a brand like Apple, or Nike, or Harley Davidson. But your brand is much more than your logo. It’s the emotion your customers get when they see your logo. It’s the feeling your company gives people who interact with you. In today’s DMJ 101, I break down 4 Tips on Building a brand from the beginning. Watch now!
4 Tips On Building a Brand
While building an iconic brand has thousands of steps, and likely, thousands of days, here are 4 things you can do to start building yours today.
Do What You Say You Will Do
You might read that and think “Well, of course!” And you should. Of course, we need to do what we say we are going to do. But yet, we all deal with organizations that don’t live up to their own hype all of the time. If you want to build enthusiastic brand ambassadors, you need to start with a strong foundation of doing the basics. Do what you say you will do… every time.
Do Just a Little More
One of the best ways to surprise and delight your customers is to “do just a little more.” If you can consistently deliver on your promise, and then go above and beyond (even just a little), you are on your way to creating a tribe of people that will WANT to tell your story for you.
Own Your Mistakes
There will be mistakes. No matter how hard you try, things sometimes go sideways. What do you do then? The best organizations don’t look around to blame someone else. They work to solve the problem first. When you do that, you can re-channel those frustrations into delight. When things go wrong…go into action.
Create a Quarterly Appreciation Program
We dive deeper into this here, but sometimes your customers leave because they don’t think you care. You never want that to happen. So consider creating a quarterly appreciation program for your best customers. Go to them at least 4 times a year (with branded merch) to show them love. When you do that consistently, and with great merch, you will not only show gratitude. But a reminder of that gratitude will be around them all of the time.
Every year we welcome some of our very best suppliers to join us in Coshocton, Ohio for our annual Customer Trade Show. The show this year was amazing! But we understand that not every person can make it the day of the show. Life gets busy. So we did some of the work for you. Here are a few of our favorite products we saw at this year’s show. You can check them ALL out on our shop here.
5.5″ x 8.5″ Seed Paper Bound JournalBook
The 5.5″ x 8.5″ Seed Paper Bound JournalBook features a seed paper cover and 80 sheets of FSC®-certified recycled lined paper. Includes elastic band, pen loop, ribbon page marker, and back pocket. This was a great item to give to our guests as they walked in the door. Learn more here.
Thor 40oz Eco-Friendly Straw Tumbler
The Bullet Thor 40 oz Eco-Friendly Straw Tumbler features durable double-wall construction to keep your beverages hot or cold in any environment. Food-grade recycled straw is included for easy reuse daily. The Thor has a 40-ounce capacity for fewer refills and features a slim base that fits into most cupholders, a comfortable carry handle, and a splash-proof press-on lid with two openings and a swivel closure, friendly to both Sippers and Chuggers!
12-Month Custom Planner
You might love the calendar on your phone, but many people still love to have the monthly planner calendar to keep things straight. This one includes a full-color imprint on the front and back cover in order to show off your brand.
Colorwav Soundbar
The ColorWav sound bar adds a new dynamic to your home sound system with its slim black construction and RGB-illuminated grill. Its multi-colored lights behind the grill light up your logo and create an impressive statement while high-quality sound fills the room. The compact size is perfect for various spaces, and the full-color packaging makes it an ideal gift for staff or VIP clients.
27 oz Denali Stainless Steel Vacuum Tumblers
Help your clients get excited for their morning commute with these 27 oz. Denali stainless steel vacuum tumblers! This attractive mug features double-wall vacuum insulation and a clear lid to keep your beverage at your preferred temperature and prevent any spills while on the go. The Ridge Deco-inspired design makes this tumbler stand out from the crowd of travel mugs and a product that people will be proud to bring everywhere. Not only is this tumbler secure, eye-catching, and large enough to hold as much of your favorite drink as you need, but it is also environmentally friendly with a BPA-free construction! Promote your brand on a mug you and your clients can feel good about!
And as always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that really hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
What do Harley Davidson, Yeti, Nike, Apple, and Jack Daniels have in common?
These brands are all larger than life. And they have a huge group of Enthusiastic Brand Ambassadors who love their brand. The company doesn’t pay people to wear their brand. Their customers pay them for that opportunity! Those are enthusiastic brand ambassadors. There is incredible power in having that type of brand.
So, now that you have started to gain customers intentionally, how do you start to build Enthusiasm for your company? How do you build a real brand?
Let’s start with the foundation.
Step 1: Fulfill your promise.
If you don’t do what you said you would do…you are dead on arrival. You have to deliver. Say what you will do…and do what you say. It’s basic…and it’s foundational. If you don’t do this…you are done.
This is one of those moments when everyone nods and says, “Yeah…I know that.” And I am sure you do. But then why, as customers, are we so often disappointed? It’s because even though we know we are supposed to live up to our promises, we don’t always do it. So, if you want to build a brand that lasts, you have to start there.
Step 2: GLUE
A friend of mine named Stan Phelps talks about this concept in his book called The Purple Goldfish. It helps you create a brand “that sticks.”
It’s an acronym that stands for Give Little Unexpected Extras.
Now that you have delivered on your base promise, it’s time to level up the experience. When you take just a little extra care of your customers, they stand up and take notice. The bad news is, we hear all of the time about the lack of customer service in the business world. The good news is, that means it’s easy to stand out!
Let’s break it down.
Give: Provide some extra value. Do just a bit more than advertised or promised. When you do,
you surprise and delight your customers in a wonderful way.
Little: Great news…it doesn’t have to cost a lot! It can be an extra sticker in the box. Maybe it’s one extra item for free. Maybe it’s an extra special email response that makes them laugh.
Unexpected: It shouldn’t be every time. If it’s an every time occurrence then the customer will come to expect it. Just occasionally…make them smile.
Extra: As we said, find a little way to do just a little bit more. A little bit more can mean a lot.
The fact is, when you add GLUE into your marketing, you give people a reason to talk about you in a great way.
Step 3: Own Your Mistakes.
No matter how hard we try, we will all screw up sometimes. None of us are infallible, as a person and as a brand. When that happens (not if), own it and fix it. Don’t play the blame game.
Again, I know this sounds like a no-brainer. But it’s not. We all want to fight the urge to be blamed for mistakes. But the sooner we lean into the mistake, the faster we can fix it. And problems that are fixed quickly and respectfully turn haters into enthusiastic ambassadors.
As I tell my team, “Remember, everyone looks good when everything goes right. When things go wrong, we have a real opportunity to shine.”
Appreciation Marketing
Now that you have the foundation set, it’s time to supercharge your opportunity to create real Enthusiasm around your brand. Showing real appreciation to your customers is a pretty easy thing…but so few companies really do it. As a matter of fact, check out this statistic.
69% of customers that leave you, will do so because of perceived indifference.
Think about that! Nearly 7 in 10 customers will leave because they don’t know if you care. So, gratitude and appreciation are superpowers in business. I find myself singing Billy Joel as I type this and urge you to “Tell Them About it!”
And while it’s important to show appreciation for every customer and every order, your bigger customers might mean even a little bit more.
You see, most businesses follow Pareto’s Rule when it comes to revenue. That’s the 80/20 rule. It means that 80% of your revenue likely comes from around 20% of your customers. If one of those 20% leaves you, it can be a big blow to your bottom line. So, it’s even more important for you to make sure you show those customers real appreciation.
Quarterly Appreciation Program
The fact is, we all get busy. So even though we want to show gratitude, the whirlwind of life can often get in the way. That is why I recommend creating a quarterly appreciation program to really make sure your 20% is recognized regularly.
How does it work? It’s pretty simple.
First, decide the budget. How much can you spend on each client per year? Remember, this is one of your best clients. Consider this your marketing budget for reaching them. The fact is, we all spend a lot of money on new client acquisition (and we should). But maintaining our current (and best) clients is often just as important, and creates a higher margin!
Now that you have that number, simply divide by 4. This establishes your quarterly budget. Now, choose a piece of branded merchandise that fits in the budget for each quarter.
Why a piece of branded merch? First, because it lasts. You want your top clients to see this item and remember you (and your appreciation) every time they use it. And second, because this is how you start to build a tribe of raving fans. You want this group carrying these cool items and repping your brand…everywhere they go.
Now that you have the items selected, make sure they are ordered to be delivered a couple of weeks before the beginning of each quarter (or when you want to ship them or deliver them). This will give you time to work that into your schedule, so they are delivered in a timely fashion.
Then, just like in sales, the fortune is in the follow-up. Follow up with this top 20% with a call and just let them know how much you appreciate them. This personal touch will push this idea over the edge.
These are the steps to taking your brand to the next level and creating Enthusiasm for your organization.
Want to dig deeper into this? I cover it in my new book Hit The TARGET. Head to HitTheTargetBook.com/video to sign up for the video course today. We will email you a short video for each letter in the TARGET marketing framework in order to help you level up your marketing faster.
At Hasseman Marketing, we are committed to helping fix the Appreciation Gap. We do that by assisting organizations to find really cool Branded Merch to gift to their team and their best customers. Our challenge is, there are so many categories of products that fit the bill! It’s a great problem to have! We work with amazing suppliers with great products…and that’s great! So we are going to feature different cool year-end gifts each time. This week we feature one of our favorite year-end gift categories…drinkware.
13 oz. Barista Ceramic Custom Mugs with Cork Bottom
We have been featuring this ceramic mug a lot this year. Made with stoneware and a faux cork bottom, this piece not only has a great look (and it does) but the cork helps to protect your hands from the heat of that much-needed coffee in the morning. This has a great look for an office mug or is the perfect mug to hand out to clients. Click here to find pricing.
12 oz. Itsy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug
Can you say functional? This double wall vacuum sealed tumbler is perfect to keep your coffee hot or your cold drinks cold, but it is perfect for on the go…or staying at the office. And with this smaller size, you can also use this with your Keurig as well. Priced here with a one-color imprint, this is a great year-end gift that will not break the bank.
Hydro Flask® Standard Mouth 21 oz Bottle with Flex Cap
Your perfect travel companion. Keep life moving with the Hydro Flask® Standard Mouth With Flex Cap 21oz. It stashes easily into a small shoulder bag, your pack’s side pocket, or your car cup holder, and holds enough ice-cold goodness to keep you going for hours without weighing you down. No wonder it’s one of our bestselling water bottles. TempShield™ insulation eliminates condensation and keeps beverages cold up to 24 hours and hot up to 12 hours. Learn more here.
It’s hard to believe we are in Appreciation Season, but September is here. Please check out the shop. We have even more to select from there! But if you need additional ideas, we would love to help!
At Hasseman Marketing, we are committed to helping fix the Appreciation Gap. We do that by helping organizations find really cool Branded Merch to gift to their team and their best customers. Our challenge is, there are so many categories of products that fit the bill. We work with some amazing suppliers with great products…and that’s a great thing! So we are going to feature different cool year-end gifts each week. This week, we are featuring some amazing blankets from our pals at PCNA. And the best part is, they are on sale!
Field & Co.® Picnic Blanket
This plaid Field & Co.® Picnic Blanket features comfortable polar fleece with foam padding and PEVA backing. The built-in 11″ x 4.5″ pocket is perfect for storing mobile devices or any other picnic necessities. The blanket measures 48″ x 54″ unfolded and 7.5″ x 12″ folded. Learn more at the PCNA website here. Or you can shop on our Featured year-end gift shop here and find even better pricing!
American Giant Campfire Blanket
The American Giant Campfire Blanket is made with American Giant’s signature heavyweight fleece. This all-purpose blanket is soft and durable. Built for use anytime. Made with remnants left over from hoodie production, so nothing goes to waste. Made in the USA. Check out this blanket on our Featured year-end gift shop here.
tentree Organic Cotton Ocean Breeze Throw
The tentree Organic Cotton Ocean Breeze Throw features tasseled edges and reversible print, making this throw a show-stopper. Made from 100% Organic Cotton. Unfolded dimensions are 55″ x 86″. Through a partnership with 1% For The Planet, one percent of sales of all EcoSmart® products are donated to environmental nonprofits. This is a blanket that will make you feel good about giving it in so many ways. Learn more about it here. And of course, you can shop here at our Featured Year End Shop.
It’s hard to believe we are in Appreciation Season, but September is almost here. Please check out the shop. We have even more to select from there! But if you need additional ideas, we would love to help!
