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.
It’s time to reach…and it’s time to build your reach. This blog is part of an ongoing series of blogs featuring the TARGET Marketing Framework. You can get our TARGET Marketing Playbook for FREE here. Now let’s talk about how to increase your reach in business.
The first part of Reach is to simply reach across platforms and start to build your brand. This is when you want to create content targeted at providing value to that perfect customer. The format may vary (as will the social media platform), but you must create more content than you are comfortable with.
This is when you will hear that voice in your head…pushing back.
The more you push, the louder this voice will get. You will hear things like:
“Who do you think you are?”
“No one wants to hear from you!”
“This is too much!”
“You are full of yourself!”
“Yeah, but…”
And much more. This is the voice inside your head that is trying to keep you safe and comfortable. And when it comes to Reach…you will need to get uncomfortable.
Gary Vaynerchuk, in a recent interview, said that you need to be creating up to 40 pieces of content a day, across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Read that again. 40 pieces of content per day!
Hear that voice yet?
While I am not going to prescribe a specific number of posts you need to make per day (though I love that Gary V does), I will say, it’s more than you think. This is brand building in a noisy world. One post per week is not going to cut it. You have to force yourself to reach.
It’s time to Give First
I have said that we are in a “Give First” Economy. The entrepreneurs, marketers, salespeople, and organizations that provide value first, are the ones that are going to win. This builds trust and integrity with the exact audience you want to reach. It means you are creating content that actually provides value.
So many small businesses use social media like all other forms of advertising. They just sell, sell, sell. And while there is a time to go for the sale (we will talk about that next), now is the time to answer questions, give tips, and entertain. During the R stage, you are building the relationship and building a brand.
Need a basic jumping-off point? Start with the ten questions you find yourself answering all of the time. Now create content that honestly and thoroughly answers those questions. These might be blog posts, TikToks, YouTube videos, and Instagram posts. But by answering the questions and giving first, you are starting to build a real relationship with those you want to serve.
Finally, while you are Reaching across platforms, don’t forget to build your Reach. What I mean by that is, to keep nurturing the list you are building for your organization. Now is a great time to continue to promote your lead magnet. It’s also a great time to deliver this relevant “give first” content to your list.
This is a great way to continue to build the value of your list by giving them value on a regular basis (that is not just a sales pitch).
How big is your list? This blog is part of an ongoing series of blogs featuring the TARGET Marketing Framework. You can get our TARGET Marketing Playbook for FREE here. Now let’s talk about how to build a list for your business!
What do I mean? I simply mean, how big is your list of customers and prospects that could buy from you? And do you own that information? Do you have their phone numbers, mailing addresses, and emails?
Oh…and do you have permission to contact them when you want?
If you don’t have a list…you don’t have a business.
The A in TARGET means it’s time to Attract your perfect customers and prospects to your owned list. This will not only allow you to provide them with valuable content but will also let you provide them with great offers when the time is right.
But what is “owned” media?
As business owners, marketers, entrepreneurs, and salespeople, we have gotten very comfortable with “rented” media. Rented media is when someone else owns the audience, or the audience’s attention. They decide who and what is exposed to it. And they charge to give access to that attention.
The radio station owns the audience. The TV station owns the audience. The newspaper owns the audience. We simply rent some time. And to be fair, they should own the audience. They have spent the time to create that relationship with the audience. They have created valuable content for them.
It’s not your audience. You are paying to have access.
And for those of you saying, “I don’t use traditional media; I have my audience on social media.” Bad news. You don’t own that audience either. Facebook owns it. YouTube owns it. TikTok owns it. The reason I know that is, if that platform goes away, or changes its algorithm, or just gets mad at you, it can all go away…just like that. You don’t own those contacts, the platform does.
A couple of years ago, Facebook and Instagram just went down for about 6 hours. No explanation. Just…down. And many of my entrepreneur friends lost their minds. Their entire business went down with it. They had no way to contact their clients.
It was a great reminder. While I am a big fan of social media (and we will talk about that in just a minute), we need to continue to work to grow our own audience, so that when (and I did not say “if”) one of these platforms goes away, we still have access to the audience we have created.
You need to create “owned” media.
So how do you do it? Here are 3 ways to grow your list.
Start with the low-hanging fruit.
First, if you have an existing business, reach out to those clients you are already working with. Explain to them that you are starting a newsletter (to provide them with value, content, etc.). In it, you will send them special deals for being a part of this “VIP” group. In addition, I like to let them know how often I will be sending the email (and promise not to spam them). We have all been on the list that sends 12 emails a day. That’s no fun…and it diminishes your trust with the audience. You want to provide real value for your perfect customers and prospects!
Now that you have established your list, it’s time to actively grow it.
Second, use your social channels to ask. If you have created a following on social media, this is a great place to invite people to follow you for “VIP” access. Explain the same thing that you did to your customer list. What are you going to send them? How often will you send it? Why would they want to sign up? While not everyone will sign up from this invitation, some probably will jump on board!
Third, it’s time to create a lead magnet. A lead magnet is some piece of content that will provide that prospect or customer with something that has a lot of value to them. This is why it’s so important to spend time on the (T) section identifying that perfect customer. By knowing them, you can create something that really addresses their needs.
This lead magnet might be a PDF, a video, an audio, or a video series. But it’s something that helps your perfect customer go to where they want to go. And let’s face it, it needs to have real value. If someone is going to give you their email, they want to make sure it’s worth it. So, I am a big believer in trying to over-deliver here.
This is a perfect place to start your relationship on the right foot.
Now that you have the lead magnet created, don’t be shy about sharing it! This needs to be prominently placed on your website, social media, and maybe even on your business card. Make sure you are giving every prospect and customer the opportunity to give you their contact information!
Remember…if you are proud of the content you are sharing on this email…then they need to be a part of it!
Bonus Idea for Starting the List
Another idea for kick-starting the list is by creating a contest. In this example, you might give away something really cool (that your perfect customer would love) in order to gather names for the list. This can be a great way to get your list started.
My wife and I renovated an old building in Coshocton, Ohio. She did a ton of work on the building, and it is now a successful Airbnb. We have people from all over the country coming to our community to visit…and they stay with us. It’s really cool. (You can learn more at ChooseCoshocton.com).
The problem, as I see it, is that we don’t “own” the audience. Airbnb owns it. And to be clear, we think they do a great job. But what happens if Airbnb goes away? Our business goes with it.
So, we decided we wanted to be more intentional in creating an avenue that we could communicate with our intended “Targets.” The problem was, we had none of their contact information.
So, we started with a contest.
We posted a contest giving away a two-night stay in our community. In addition, we offered a $50 gift certificate at two local restaurants. We created a landing page to capture the information and posted to social media. In addition, we also asked the local Convention & Visitor’s Bureau to include the contest in their email (an audience of people who visit our area that they had created).
The result was great! We got several hundred people who signed up for the contest and became the beginning of our own “owned” media. We have since created a lead magnet for the area and continue to build the list.
It’s time for Thirsty Thursday! Thirsty Thursday is the award-winning piece of content from Hasseman Marketing where we take a mystery drink out of a piece of branded drinkware! It’s funny. It’s irreverent. And we will show you some really cool merch as well! This week we feature the BIG SWIG from our pals at Spector and Co. But wait…there’s more! This time, both Jeff Wickerham and Kelly Bowe join Kirby and Emily. It’s a full house! Watch the latest episode below!
Why Should you consider the Big Swig?
The 1240 mL / 42 oz Big Swig Sr. is a double wall vacuum insulated stainless steel bottle made with pro-grade stainless steel. The durable powder-coated finish gives the bottle a modern look and provides extra grip. With a generous capacity and carry handle, this bottle is perfect for long hikes, days at the office, or staying hydrated at the gym. The leak-proof, screw-on cap with a spout keeps drinks contained. Take this bottle with you wherever you go because it’s ready for whatever you’re up for.
Welcome to “Delivering Marketing Joy” with Eric Holtzclaw, the Award-Winning podcast/video series where we bring you insights and strategies to help you succeed in the world of marketing. In this episode, Eric discusses the importance of treating marketing like a magazine rather than a catalog. He shares valuable insights on demand generation versus lead generation, the power of storytelling in content creation, finding a balance between tactics and strategy, lessons from conversations with entrepreneurs, and the challenges and misconceptions of entrepreneurship. Let’s dive in and explore these key points in more detail.
Section 1: Difference between Demand Generation and Lead Generation
Eric Holtzclaw begins by highlighting the difference between demand generation and lead generation in B2B marketing. While both are important, B2B firms primarily focus on demand generation. This involves building content and attracting customers through various channels. On the other hand, lead generation is more focused on performance management and involves tactics like display ads to capture potential leads.
It’s crucial for companies to find a balance between demand generation and lead generation. While demand generation helps build brand awareness and attract customers, lead generation focuses on converting those leads into actual sales. By combining both strategies effectively, businesses can achieve long-term success in their marketing efforts.
Section 2: Treating Marketing Like a Magazine
In this section, Holtzclaw suggests treating marketing like a magazine. Instead of simply promoting products or services, companies should focus on creating content that tells stories and provides valuable information to their audience. By adopting this approach, businesses can engage and educate their customers, building a loyal following in the process.
When creating content, it’s important to keep the audience in mind. Think about what stories would interest them and how to best educate them. While incorporating keywords and SEO is essential for visibility, it should not come at the expense of providing meaningful information. By striking the right balance, companies can create content that not only ranks well in search engines but also resonates with their target audience. We work hard at Hasseman Marketing to create our content “like a magazine.” You can see examples of this on our blog here.
Section 3: Balancing Tactics and Strategy
Holtzclaw emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between tactics and strategy in marketing efforts. Many companies tend to lean too heavily on either one, but both are necessary for long-term success.
Developing effective strategies requires understanding the needs and goals of the business. Once the strategies are in place, tactics should support and align with those strategies. Consistency is key in executing strategies, and it’s important to give them enough time to see results. By focusing on both tactics and strategy, businesses can create a solid foundation for their marketing efforts.
Section 4: Lessons from Conversations with Entrepreneurs
In this section, Holtzclaw shares valuable lessons learned from his conversations with entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur requires taking risks and being willing to try new things. Consistency, showing up for customers, and following through are also crucial elements of entrepreneurship.
Success takes time, and it’s important to have patience. Businesses need to give their strategies and ideas enough time to see if they will work. Overnight success is a myth, and it’s essential to understand that results take time to materialize. By embracing these lessons, entrepreneurs can navigate the challenges and uncertainties of their journey with a healthier perspective.
Section 5: Challenges and Misconceptions of Entrepreneurship
Holtzclaw delves into the challenges and misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship in this section. He highlights the fact that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and it’s important to recognize that some individuals are better suited for traditional employment.
Success in entrepreneurship requires consistency and a long-term perspective. It’s essential to understand that results may not come overnight and that building a successful business takes time. By setting realistic expectations and staying committed to their goals, entrepreneurs can overcome challenges and achieve their desired outcomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Eric Holtzclaw emphasizes the need for a healthy perspective on the entrepreneurial journey and the importance of consistency and patience in marketing efforts. By treating marketing like a magazine, focusing on storytelling and valuable content, finding a balance between tactics and strategy, and embracing the lessons from conversations with entrepreneurs, businesses can navigate the challenges of the marketing landscape and achieve long-term success.
