Around Branding: December 2007

As the grand leader one of the brand called YOU Inc, there come many responsibilities. And an even larger amount of opportunities.

You, my friend are your own brand manager. You call the shots and you must stand by them day in and day out.

With that in mind, what type of brand do you aspire to be? One that seeks to make a quick buck and care little who gets caught in your way? Or the brand that understands that it is by giving of yourself FIRST to solving other people's needs where the REAL riches lie?

Doing business on the internet, it's very easy to operate a faceless facade. Redirects and stealing affiliate codes and making over exaggerations is common in here.

But that's ugly, short term thinking.

On the other side of all those coins lies a completely different opportunity. One where you extend yourself to others knowing that by doing so, you will turn a buyer into a customer. And customers stay with you for a long, profitab le time.

As brand manager, you have options as to which way you can choose to go.

Internet marketing experts who've been around for years have been around for years because they chose to act correctly.

You don't ever go back into a pharmacy where the pharmacist takes your money without making sure that you have the right meds and the right dosage, do you?

No. You and me, and everyone we know appreciate and reward those "brand managers" who take their responsibilities seriously.

And, in terms of direct marketing, we NEED that attention to detail more than ever.

My personal brand management style DEMANDS that when writing autoresponder sequences for clients, over-delivering is the ONLY way I can do business.

And it certainly doesn't hurt to hear the phone ringing for more when I do.

Extend yourself. And your wallet will be extended.

Kevin Browne left a career spanning 19 years at McCann Erickson, Young and Rubicam and J Walter Thompson on Madison Avenue to put the science of the autoresponder into the hands of web owners who truly understand the potential therein.

Mr. Browne is now accepting autoresponder clients at kb62591a@yahoo.com.

Don't Ever Let The Board Replace You As The Head Of YOU, INC

Branding yourself whether you are online or offline or on hold on the phone is in my mind one of the most important things you can do.

It's the YOU Inc. principle and it is very important.

When you have a philosophy that carries you through your business day and life, and you stick to those principles (whatever they happen to be) you will achieve a consistency that those around you will be able to tap into when those exact skills and talents are needed.

It's exciting.

Personally, I have been led to believe that ME Inc. is only a by-product of how I treat others. I have come to understand that it is in finding solutions to other people's concerns and issues where I find the rewards come back to me many times over.

We all are keenly aware that online can be a snake pit of greed and half truths. Where the predominant mood is blatantly set by the make a buck then drop the URL and get the hell out of dodge crowd.

That's not eve ryone, of course. But we must be aware that they are there.

The other aspect of ME Inc. that I strive to accomplish is full disclosure. I become enraged when someone who has made huge business accomplishments online writes the pitch in such a way as to make it sounds as if that person had started from ground zero.

That is far from the case.

The successful people online, and there are many, have a great deal of support and usually a great deal of money and internet understanding.

When they have those things, they can roll through a start up with invariable success (which is true) but then craft language as if to say that the rest of us can duplicate that process in our pajamas with just 5 or 10 minutes of work in our kitchen. "If I did it, so can you, America!!!"

This ME Inc. thing and your YOU Inc. thing, is a personal branding thing and it is one of disclosure and honesty.

Two things I certainly wish were is more abundance on the net.

To learn SPECIFICALLY how you can begin to FINALLY make money from home, visit http://www.ultimatecsutomercreator.internetbasedfamily.com/opportunity.html and never buy into HYPE again!!!

Building Awareness Is Key For A Small Company

Have you ever said your company name to a stranger And seen a look on their face like WHO?

Well it happens to a lot of growing companies, they don't have any marketing plans or market their name, I am just going to tell you how to start out small, on a simple budget. One goal, the central goal of marketing is to ensure that the public recognizes the company brand. In order to do this, the company saturates the customer with an image representative of their company. A great way to do that is to give away free items with their logo or message, that are used outdoors. Items like Koozies (can coolers), T-shirts and stadium cups are perfect for this. Because they are often used in public places, like the park barbeque or at the beach, this will ensure that people see the logo printed on the side. A company can simply give them away free and let the customer do the advertising. One great way to give them out is to the employees of the company. They may not pay for them, but if they were free, then why not? Also they could be left on the receptionist's desk as a free gift for costumers who come into the office. Both of these ways will get the marketing items distributed and by extension the brand out into the public.

T-shirts are what I call walking billboards Because of their usability, they are seen much more often than most marketing items. This could be used to great advantage. On one side could be the company logo and the other a funny slogan or words, this could be used to make people want to wear them more often. Many people love to wear funny shirts, this can be used to a marketing advantage. T-shirts come in a wide variety of colors and styles. The possibilities are endless since they can be printed in every color imaginable. I have even seen some that are even designed so their shape reflects the product or service of the company who supplied them. They can be easily printed with a company logo or short slogan a t a minimal cost and lots of visibility. Because of such a low cost, they are idea for a marketing campaign..

The name koozie may not be familiar to many people. However, the product itself is easily recognized. Also known as can coolers or Polar Pal, they are simply insulated covers for cans, bottles or cups. Koozies are normally made out of Foam, a thick insulator that will hold up well against the elements. They insulate the container so it stays cold while protecting the holder's hand from the cold. They are of a simple but utterly brilliant design and construction. It is always a benefit to have a few of these around. From around the house, to the barbeque all the way to the beach, koozies are a seen everywhere these days.

http://trueimprint.com/ is great place for getting new and innovative marketing ideas

Clean Up Your Office Exterior - A Disgusting Image Detracts from Your Professionalism

How often have you walked up to a company's office and found chewing gum on the sidewalk, spilled chocolate fudge bar remnants or black marks from bicycle tires or skateboarders? I did a quick survey the other day when I went cruising over the hill to the next city and drove by all the real estate offices, 50% looked like that, I took some pictures and then thought the better of posting them here.

No need to give negative PR to these companies, and yet, look what they are saying about themselves and think what this says about their businesses and image. So much for local branding; quite frankly, I would have been humiliated and if I were an employee, representative, independent contractor on in the case of a real estate office, well you wouldn't catch me hanging my license in such a pig sty.

Now then, someone ought to tell these folks that for about $100 to $250 per month they can hire a professional pressure washing service to come and clean tha t off and make it look like the day it was put in. How do I know this? Well, I had presently been heavily involved in such cleaning service business industries.

You must clean up your Company's Office Exterior and prevent your office from presenting a disgusting image, as it detracts from your Professionalism. Clients, customers and walk-ins see this and the minute they do your credibility goes to a near zero and it's all up hill from there. Something to contemplate in 2008.

If your company's office looks like this, please present your best excuse and final answer to why you think this is acceptable by commenting below. Thanks very much.

My name is Lance Winslow and I am a semi-retired entrepreneur, retired Franchisor and now I am a consultant brain-4-hire, internet writer and author. I got bored in retirement so I founded the Online Think Tank - http://www.worldthinktank.net If you would like to send me an email just to say hi, discuss an article, send me hate mail or need some advice you can find me at; http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html Have a great day and thanks for reading - tell me about you?