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Brand Building: Deliver the Promise

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Can we agree that data driven decisions produce the most favorable outcomes? The mega database of customer info compiled by the World Advertising Research Centre of New York City, USA and London, UK has since 1985 provided powerful information to business leaders and enabled them to develop marketing strategies and campaigns that attract the attention prospective customers and persuade them to try a product or service or persuade existing customers to become frequent users, meaning repeat customers, of a product or service. WARC data points to a product’s brand promise as the definitive ingredient of successful marketing and brand-building campaigns. The right brand promise, one that target customers perceive as memorable, valuable and deliverable, has the power to influence the purchasing behavior of your target customers and convert them to buyers. WARC data also indicates that a well-crafted brand promise not only translates into purchases and sales revenue, but also provides a blueprint that can be used to devise successful marketing strategies and campaigns.

In other words, the key to successful brand-building is a clear and specific brand promise that target customers feel can be fulfilled. Such a brand promise has been shown to result in marketing campaigns that positively impact sales revenue and also help to shape effective marketing strategies and campaigns.

Commit to the brand promise

WARC research shows that brand promises that target customers trust and believe will be delivered result in sales of the product or service. Roger L. Martin, a former dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto (Canada) and author of A New Way to Think (2022); Jann Martin Schwartz, founder and Senior Global Director at the LinkedIn B2B Institute and Mimi Turner, head of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America operations at the LinkedIn B2B Institute teamed up to more closely examine the question of effective marketing—how can business owners and leaders make it happen?

Martin, Turner and Schwartz sought to understand the active ingredients, if you will, of a marketing campaign—what makes it successful? The team recognized the potential appeal of the brand promise and they began by classifying WARC marketing campaign data according to whether or not a verifiable brand promise was made to customers. They found that of 2,021 campaigns analyzed, 40% (808) included an obvious brand promise and 60% (1,213) did not.

The first noteworthy finding of their research was campaigns that included a verified brand promise were more persuasive than campaigns with no brand promise in nearly every instance. In measures of brand perception, brand preference and purchase intent, 56% of campaigns offering a brand promise reported improvement. Market penetration increased in 45% of brand promise campaigns and market share increased in 27% of brand promise campaigns. The only metric in which a brand promise did not triumph was in generating social media buzz, where 55% of successful marketing campaigns omitted a brand promise.

Anatomy of a brand promise

As noted above, Turner, Schwartz and Martin started out by confirming the presence of a brand promise the the marketing campaigns; next, they categorized the type of brand promise made in campaigns where one was present. Most (89%) brand promises fit their definition of one or more of the following categories:

  • Emotional.

The researchers were surprised that a feel-good brand promise was the most popular category, with 35% assigned to this type. An emotional brand promise communicates the good feelings that will be experienced by customers who buy and use the product or service. A highly successful example of an emotional brand promise is the famous De Beers “A diamond is forever” marketing campaign brand promise that since 1947 has promised that the endurance of a diamond confirms the permanency and satisfaction of the marriage.

  • Functional

In 32% of the research sample, the brand promise stressed the reliability and functionality of the product or service. The FedEx “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” campaign brand promise of 1978 was so powerful that it resulted in the creation of a new verb—to FedEx. The campaign’s brand promise can also be said to convey an emotional brand promise as well: customers don’t have to worry, because it’s FedEx.

  • Enjoyable to buy

Some companies (22%) took the unusual stance of portraying the enjoyment customers will experience as they shop for and buy a product or service. A good example an enjoyment-based brand promise is provided by the paint maker Sherwin-Williams; the company won the 2022 B2B Grand Prix at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for its campaign based on an artificial intelligence tool that allows customers to create and choose a paint color by using voice to describe it (“a turquoise like the sea in the Maldives,” for example). Designers and architects swooned and prospective customers were convinced.

After the research team categorized the types of brand promises companies tend to make, they examined factors that make a brand promise strongly appealing to customers. Again, three features dominated successful campaigns:

  • Memorable

Surprisingly, making it known that a company is not the top seller in the marketplace can be highly persuasive. “We’re Avis and we try harder” was the slogan of the second-largest car rental company (after Hertz).  Within a year of its launch, Avis went from losing $3.2 million a year to earning $1.2 million a year. Advertising executives called the campaign the most brilliant of the 20th century.

  • Valuable

Customers must want what the brand promise offers, especially when the promise is communicated and perceived as an upgrade from circumstances that are perceived as unsatisfactory or lackluster. Prospective customers must feel that the value is relevant.

Deliverable

A defining characteristic of a brand promise is that it represents a guarantee; the customer must be able to recognize that the brand promise can be fulfilled and the benefits from its fulfillment will meet expectations. For that reason, making a brand promise is a risk. The research team’s assumption was that brand promises made campaigns were generally fulfilled, based on the success of the marketing campaigns studied.

Brand promise becomes strategy

The insight that effective brand building is anchored in a promise to the customer can do more for a company than just help it invest wisely in marketing. The promise can serve as the guiding principle of the marketing strategy, able to inform all promotional activities. A well-crafted and communicated brand promise is your North Star; creating and executing a brand promise is, the foundation of a strategy. From that brand promise/ strategy, you can understand how the company will beat its competitors, the value that customers see in your products and services, understand how the company position itself in the marketplace.

Below, Martin, Schwartz and Turner leave you with a five-step template that your company can use—a go-to-market brand promise development guide that also functions as the foundation of your marketing strategy. Furthermore, the study provides guidance about resources the company should dedicate to the various aspects of brand building, including which information sheds the most light on customer preferences, how to ensure that the most highly preferred aspects of the brand promise are delivered and how to effectively and efficiently communicating your brand promise.

  1. Step One is to understand customers well enough to know what constitutes memorability and value for them.

2. That understanding leads to Step Two, the development of a brand promise, expressed in a simple but compelling and memorable statement.

 3. In Step Three, your company publicly commits to the brand promise by launching the marketing campaign.

4. In Step Four, your company must communicate the brand promise to the target audience: If it isn’t received by way of the right channels, it can’t be effective.

5. Finally, in Step Five your company must fulfill the brand promise, or the promise will be largely worthless.

This cycle provides guidance about the resources the company must dedicate to the various aspects of brand building. How much should it dedicate to understanding customers? How much to designing and issuing a brand promise? How much to broadcasting and communicating it? And how much to ensuring that the key aspects of the brand promise are delivered? As the company repeats the cycle, it learns more about its strategic challenges and how to account for customer and competitor shifts.

The ultimate goal of a marketing campaign should be to go through the brand promise cycle often enough that your customers stop wondering whether you’ll make good on your promises. Once they assume that you will, they purchase out of habit rather than choice.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Photographed by James D. Love April 2021. William Hunn’s proposal to Brittney Miller included a helicopter ride over their home city of Atlanta, GA and Ms. Miller choosing one of the five engagement rings presented to her when she accepted his offer of marriage.

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Managing Your Digital Image

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Because the internet plays such a dominant role in life, it’s crucial that you take steps to ensure what’s posted about you is both accurate and positive. Information that appears online and is associated with you—your published content and information that identifies you—is collectively known as your digital identity. This information functions as a virtual introduction to you and tells your online story. Your digital identity is the foundation of your digital image and intended to be an asset. Because what appears online is basically immortal, it’s imperative that your digital image, defined by the published content and other information attached to you and your business entity, is presented in a flattering, trust and confidence-building manner.

It is assumed that prospective clients or employers will search your name and business online before making any meaningful contact to discuss your products or services, so it makes sense to periodically monitor and curate your digital identity to ensure that information is current and represents you well. Your primary objective when editing your info is to corroborate your digital narrative and the talking points you commonly share when meeting with prospective clients or employers. The core function of your digital image and the narrative it communicates is to confirm your credibility and build trust.

According to “Assessing Web3’s Building Blocks,” an article recently published by financial services giant J.P. Morgan that explores digital identity, four factors contribute to the digital identity (listed below). It is incumbent upon you to proactively examine the information included in your digital identity so that your online image and narrative will support your professional experience, education, achievements and, by extension, your personal and business brand.

In addition to ensuring that information is accurate, decide how you want prospects to see you. Remove text and images that don’t reflect your goals or brand. If a friend has posted a not-so-flattering image on a social media site and tagged you, ask him/her to kindly delete it.

  1. Identifiers: Your name, email, addresses and social media handles.
  2. Identity Attributes: Information about you, including educational degrees and employment history.
  3. Reputation: Your online persona, contributions, affiliations and followings.
  4. Digital Collectibles & Assets: Anything you own in digital form, commonly non-fungible tokens.

Always professional

Be mindful to consistently adhere to professional standards whenever communicating electronically, ever aware that text and images posted can remain forever, whether intended for public consumption or personal texts and emails. Be vigilant and safeguard your reputation; avoid committing to writing your uncensored thoughts about potentially sensitive political or religious topics. It may, as well, be wise to avoid expressing your positions on current events. You don’t want to worry about being compromised by a leak and ending up being canceled and in need of expensive and rarely completely effective crisis or reputation management services.

Social media listening and digital presence

It’s important to know what appears in an online search of yourself and it’s a smart idea to periodically consult the major search engines—Google, Bing, AOL, Yahoo and also Yelp, Yellow Pages, or other industry-specific ranking sites that would apply to your entity—and search your name and your business entity to examine the results and assess the quality and reach of your digital presence. To avoid or correct misinformation, take control by claiming and updating an existing listing and, if you like, create a listing for your entity if none appears. Furthermore, make it a practice to regularly conduct a social media audit on yourself, so you can remove problematic content before prospects and competitors see it.

You may also be well-served by investing in a social media listening campaign, a marketing strategy that refers to researching whether positive or negative conversations regarding you, your entity, products and/or services currently appear in social media and other online platforms. Social media listening monitors online channels to detect mentions of your brand, competitive brands and related keywords.

The use of (paid) social media listening tools enables you to gain an accurate understanding of how customers and prospects feel about your products, services and company by discovering what they say on social media channels. Through social listening, you can track all mentions of your brand on social media in real-time and get not only valuable insights into how customers feel about your products or services, but also verify what their pain points are and learn what they’d like to see from you in the future. Social media listening is also an excellent source of competitive intel, as it can monitor competitive brands, trending content and sentiment analysis on topics related to your industry to obtain a comprehensive understanding of what customers and prospects think about your competition.

Social media listening has become a major marketing strategy at national and global brands. It was originally thought that marketers at smaller businesses would not benefit from the practice, mostly because the cost wouldn’t justify the ROI. Yet over the past few years, social media listening is now considered essential and an increasing number of mid-size and small business owners and marketers recognize its value. The biggest motivators are likely greater affordability offered by marketing companies and the explosive growth of online customer engagement fueled by the pandemic shutdown. social media listening data can be used to inform everything from marketing and product strategy to customer service and support, helping you make smarter, data-driven decisions that will have a positive impact on your business’s bottom line. To learn more about social media listening services click: https://www.webfx.com/blog/social-media/social-listening-tools/#:~:text=7%20best%20social%20listening%20tools%20in%202024%201,5.%20Mention%206%206.%20BuzzSumo%207%207.%20Keyhole.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: ©The Bettman Archive. Gloria Swanson (center) as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1950). Co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, the film received three Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay/Story.

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Confronting the Competition—Do You Scrutinize Or Ignore?

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Business owners and leaders expect that competition will be a factor in their marketplace. The most successful among them have learned to not fear competition but instead recognize the hide-in-plain-sight gift that competition reveals—we can make money here! In fact, experienced business owners can even rely on the presence of competitors to help them discover a potentially lucrative customer segment for their line of products and services. But the question remains—when confronting the competition, what course of action would a smart business owner be wise to follow? Does it make more sense to closely monitor the activities of key business rivals or is it smarter to be a contrarian and take scant notice of competitors’ activities?

No matter how you choose to look at it, you will look— competition demands your attention. Even declining to closely follow and respond to competitors is an action that requires both thought and decision-making. Some people say that competition will bring out either your best or your worse. Whether you go head-2-head with an ambitious competitor or avoid a showdown and decide to play to your strengths instead, competition will test your mettle. Information—your company’s Key Performance Indicators, the results of customer surveys, industry sales trends and even the appearance of a social media meme that somehow influences your marketplace—is your best ammunition but how you use that resource is your decision. Let’s look at both possible responses.

The benefits of monitoring the competition

  • You may need to stay on top of things When you plan to carry out a mission-critical initiative—expanding into a niche market or launching a new product or service, for instance—then any key moves made by either direct or indirect competitors will be of keen interest to you. Your launch timetable may need to be adjusted, for example. When there’s a lot on the line, it is imperative that you closely follow all significant competitors, so that you’ll be apprised of any activity that might impact your strategy. Take steps to gather the intel that will allow you to respond decisively to an unexpected challenge.
  • Identify key competitors Conduct enough research to determine your top four or five competitors. Visit their website and social media sites to learn how they communicate with customers and also to refine your thoughts about your organization’s ideal customer. You can also get insight into the depth of customer loyalty, the power of the customer experience they offer and the strength of their brand—all qualities that you may want to incorporate, or avoid, at your company. Keeping an eye on certain competitors can make doing business better for you.
  • Learn from competitors’ mistakes Even if your product or service is poised to rock the marketplace, it’s a good idea to remain humble and prepare for what might go wrong. Business history is filled with examples of products that were expected to become The Next Big Thing and instead, they tanked. Allow yourself to learn from the failures and successes of others (check out competitors that have something in common with your own entity, rather than a multinational). It would be a useful exercise to discover the keywords that propelled them to the top of an internet search (Google Alerts is a great tool for keeping on top of this) and the content they post that attracts sizeable traffic and shares?

Don’t stress out over the competition

It’s often a given that a business owners and Freelancers will to some extent follow the activities of one or more direct and/or indirect competitors. It’s usually considered good business to be somewhat familiar with the solutions that your prospects may have used to resolve their challenges and achieve objectives. With that competitive info in mind, you can create realistic and more effective talking points that can win new customers.

Still, close monitoring of your competition can potentially become too much of a good thing; the strategy may at some point result in diminishing returns. It’s useful to cultivate a certain awareness of what leading competitors are doing and who their clients are but ultimately, the type of products and services you provide, your method of delivering those products and services and the customer service and experience that your company presents are the value that personifies your brand and attracts loyal customers. When your response to the competitive landscape guides you to have confidence in your company’s vision and mission and perfect the delivery of what your customers value, you’ll always be positioned to rule the day. Find inspiration in the pointers below.

  • Optimize use of resources Obsessively researching and tracking competitors requires time and energy that may not produce a convincing return on investment. It is prudent to direct valuable (and often limited) resources to factors and events that you can control, rather than attempting to influence that which is beyond reach—that is, the behavior of your competitors. You may discover that adapting your products and/or services to better anticipate and meet the evolving preferences and priorities of your customers and prospects. As well, seek ways to improve your customer service protocols as you enhance your customer experience.
  • Focus on customers not competitors The majority of your marketing focus should be on your target customer groups. Conduct demographic and purchasing history research to update your basic customer knowledge and use the intel to ensure that your marketing tells the story that resonates with customers and prospects because it addresses what they value, want (or will want) and what they’ll pay to have it. Moreover, researching your target customers inadvertently reveals a lot about competitors and what it takes to stay ahead of them.

Taking a balanced approach

As with so much that we do in life, finding the middle ground and achieving balance proves to be the most pragmatic and successful approach. When you remember what is most important you can then set your priorities, direct your resources and become more efficient and successful when managing your business.

  • Your Brand Is Your Competitive Advantage Monitoring the competition should be the second priority behind promoting your brand and delivering what customers value. For service businesses, brand reputation and positive word-of-mouth are among the most powerful competitive advantages. That’s what drives referrals, good reviews and leads to more sales revenue. That’s what you want!
  • Competitive Intel Analyzing competitor’s is the core of competitive intelligence. While 99 % of your business’s day-to-day should be delegated on your own core business development, monthly or quarterly competitive intelligence sessions might be allotted to investigating what your significant competitors are doing. It will be your choice to either respond in kind, or emphasize your corresponding strengths and attempt to prevail that way.
  • Google Alerts You’ll cast a wide net and achieve operational efficiency in your competitive intel research when you automate the process and let the results come to you—and that means setting up Google Alerts as a component of your quest to monitor competitors. Set up by industry keywords, competitors’ names and business names or branded product or service and let Google serves up nearly all the info you’ll need. In the meantime, you can focus most of your time on nurturing and promoting your brand in ways drive home the core mission and positioning.
  • Segment Your Time 80/20 One way to keep the time you spend on each of these essential business functions that teach you how to better regard both customers and competitors is to recognize that once again, The 80/20 Rule, formally known as the Pareto Principle and developed in 1896, will guide the division of your attention and resources. From a pragmatic perspective, it will make sense to spend 80 % of your time working on expanding your brand and enhancing other aspects of your business—operational, financial, marketing, tech—and 20 % of your time researching competitors. Developing goals and an action plan for competitive intel could be very useful and will encourage you to focus and streamline your research efforts.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Cary Chu Photography. Jousters at King Richards Faire in Carver, MA September 17. 2023

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First Up for 2024: Get A Tagline!

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As you brainstorm ways you might market your business in 2024—content you’ll produce, an updated list of keywords you’ll add to your website and social media, the panels, podcasts and webinars you’d like to appear on, the guerilla marketing campaign that might grow your customer list—you may eventually get the bright idea to create a tagline. A tagline, also known as a company slogan, may not receive priority status as you consider marketing strategies and tactics; however, you know that dozens of powerful taglines have figured prominently in the marketing campaigns of companies they represent, companies that billions of Americans and others have used for decades.

A clever and appealing tagline can become enormously popular and go on to play a role in popular culture, as it encourages current and prospective customers to use and refer the products or services it represents. Developing an effective tagline will strike a personal or even emotional chord in current and prospective customers that moves them to perceive your brand as more than just another provider of goods and services.

The tagline defined

So, what is a tagline? It’s a short, memorable phrase or sentence that sums up the essence of a company brand, products and/or services. A good tagline succinctly distills and communicates what the brand aspires to be known for and what differentiates it from competitors. It is influenced by the company vision and/or mission statement, as well as the value proposition and brand reputation but rather than presenting a lengthy and ponderous statement to describe the company, the tagline wraps those serious intentions in one brief and catchy phrase that keeps the company at top-of-mind mind for future buying decisions by reminding customers and prospects why they should choose to do business there.

A tagline can even become synonymous with the brand. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee elegantly captured the strength, athletic prowess and engaging personality of boxer Muhammed Ali (ne Cassius Clay, 1942-2016) and stands as a brilliant example of an ideal tagline.

What makes a good tagline?

A tagline can be a powerful marketing tool and although it will most likely take time to create the right one for your entity, it could be well worth the effort. It would be best to use your tagline to identify what your business does and highlight its benefits to current and prospective customers. Why not create a rough draft and keep the following in mind as you brainstorm possibilities?

  • Brief: Your tagline doesn’t need to cover every aspect of the business or explain your company values. It should be brief, unambiguous in describing the essence of the business, likeable and easy to remember.
  • Clear: Creativity makes your tagline unique, but you don’t want to be so creative that the intended audience misses the point. The wording must be clear, concise and immediately understood.
  • Memorable: Since the best taglines have but a few words, make every word count. Your tagline should be memorable for its creativity, uniqueness, or other positive aspect that inclines customers and prospects to remember and like it.
  • Reps the brand: The tagline should communicate the core of the brand identity. It should succinctly convey the brand image and voice, whether that’s upscale and formal or frugal and casual.
  • Customer-centric: While the tagline refers to the company, its focus should be on the customer and what the company can do for them, for example, save time and/or money, be trustworthy and dependable, give great service, or be convenient. “Have it your way.” (Burger King)
  • Relatable: A successful tagline has a personal appeal and speaks to the customer on an emotional level as it expresses the benefits of what the company’s products and/or services can do for them.

Short and simple

An effective tagline is direct and to the point, brief, uncomplicated, engaging and easily remembered. Aim to use no more than 10 words. A good tagline rolls off the tongue, is properly descriptive of the company’s purpose or benefits and is easy to remember. A useful way to test your tagline in development is to ask your friends, family or even new acquaintances and ask whether they understand what your company does and their overall impression of its message. “I ❤️NY” (Empire State Development Services)

Relevant to customers and prospects

The best taglines are about the customer, not about the company. A tagline focused on your company could possibly cause customers to wonder how it relates to them. By focusing on current and would-be customers, you’ll more effectively promote brand recognition and loyalty. Be sure to incorporate your company’s brand voice and persona. Avoid making promises in their tagline, which will put the focus on the company, and emphasize benefits instead. “Breakfast of champions” (Wheaties breakfast cereal)

Make your tagline match your brand

A tagline, like a logo, helps to define your brand. Ensure that the style, brand voice and other elements of your tagline match the style, voice and other aspects of your logo design. Because your tagline will be part of your overall branding, you’ll want the tagline to reflect your company’s personality. “Where’s the beef?” (Wendy’s)

Who’s your competition?

Knowing your competition is an important consideration of effective marketing. Study the marketing tactics used by your most prominent direct competitors and examine their taglines for both inspiration and to understand what not to do. Use the marketing of competitors to identify the elements of your company that differentiate it from the three or four who are closest. This could refer to the customer service, customer experience, and/or the comprehensiveness of your products and services (e.g., one-stop shopping) that differentiates and would be advantageous to convey in your tagline. Ensure your tagline sounds distinct from your competitors and larger brands around the country that your customers are likely to know as you communicate your competitive advantage and value proposition. “We try harder” (Avis Car Rental)

How you help customers

Think about how your company or products and services help your customers. How do your solutions solve or avoid problems, help achieve objectives, or make life easier and more enjoyable? Make a list of the ways you provide tangible and intangible benefits to customers, as well as any statements your business makes relating to them.

If your business is growing, consider your entire range of services or products. What value are you delivering to your customers? Think about what your products mean to people in their day-to-day lives, and list all the positive adjectives you can think of that relate to the core promise. “It keeps going and going and going…” (Energizer batteries)

Positive vibe

A considerable body of research shows that negative statements generally don’t sell well, whereas positive messages are conducive to brand building over the long term. Because taglines reflect the brand over time, keep your tagline positive and focused on benefits that customers seek out, depend on and appreciate. Avoid a vague reference to the good things that your company provides and make it unabashedly specific, descriptive of what drives your customers do business with you. “Yes we can” (2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign)

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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“Upload Photo Here” B2B Gets Personal

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Creating B2B marketing content that brings in leads and builds your brand is a real challenge! Bound by (real or imagined) expectations to appear “business-like,” B2B content creators are known to merely deliver the info that decision-makers need—the what, why, when, by whom and how a product or service is used, topped off with a serviceable call-to-action. The particulars will be in there but the end result is usually content that’s dry and impersonal. It doesn’t reach out and touch, it checks off the boxes.

If developing B2B marketing content is your responsibility, keep in mind that the decision-makers you aspire to influence are actually human. They laugh, they get bored, get frustrated, curious and (sometimes) inspired. They are busy, if not overwhelmed, and it takes something special to get their attention and win their trust. Your target audience responds best to content that is fresh, unexpected and shows that you understand what’s important to them.

Maybe you’re ahead of me and already have a guerilla marketing campaign in the works, as was discussed in last week’s post? But once the guerilla sizzle has grabbed audience attention, back it up and bring the steak. Your next move is to convert the buzz into confidence and trust that leads to loyal relationships. You achieve that by knowing your clients and using that knowledge to develop content and other means of communication that demonstrates you have their priorities and needs on your front burner. Below are factors to keep in mind and actions you may decide to take as you re-examine your B2B marketing strategy and prepare your organization for the start of a new year.

Personalized customer profiles

To figure out how to sell your products and/or services, you must know the goals and priorities of your prospects and have an idea of what might worry them, too. Accurate and updated client information is among your most valuable resources; data can be collected in quick-and-easy, nonthreatening ways, on your website or social media platforms. In exchange for a prospect’s name, contact info, business name and category, you may offer free 15 minute video consultations, free copies of your case study, or a free link to the webinar on which you made a guest appearance info. Inbound marketing tactics, spotlighted by a tempting call-to-action, not only moves prospects through the sales funnel, it also functions as a portal for client info.

Beyond basic contact info, a review of previous client or prospect interactions with your company will reveal more detailed info, including the purchasing history of current and lapsed clients, their buying preferences, concerns and the amount they spend. Get to know your target audience by understanding their unique preferences and help yourself to retain clients, make more sales and reduce churn rate. Clients and prospects are what a mailing list is all about; it’s members represent potential sales revenue for your company. Consider the following questions as you build customer profiles.

  • Who is a window shopper and who is researching with a goal of buying? Have you designed a “try before you buy” option available to undecideds, or is it effective to initiate a face2face or video meeting to show undecideds how your solution will solve problems and achieve objectives that matter to them?
  • Who are they buying for? Is the prospect an end-user and stakeholder, who influences the purchasing decision, or is the decision-maker, who may not directly use the product or service, doing the shopping?
  • After they complete a purchase, what kind of follow-up support, including info on the optimal use of the product or implementation of a service, would the new client appreciate?

Purpose-driven content

Companies are re-evaluating how they deliver their marketing messages and many now feel that creating purpose-driven marketing content is integral to being seen as relevant to potential buyers. The more you know about the goals and buying behaviors of your prospects, the more successful you’ll become in selling to them. You want information that guides you to describe, price, deliver and provide after-sale support for your product or service in words and actions that are quickly understood and strike the right chords with the target audience and in so doing, earn their trust and confidence. Consider the three phases of the buyer’s journey:

  • Discovery phase: What do prospects see when they conduct a Google search of your entity? What links appear in the results and what story is told about your products/ services and brand?
  • Consideration phase: How is your company represented when a prospect or client engages with your social media and other content? What platform links, articles, images and websites appear?
  • Conversion phase: How does your brand show up when a client transacts business on your website? What action do you want your client to take beyond making a one-time purchase?

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © The Richard Avedon Foundation. Supermodel China Machado (born Noelie da Souza,1929-2016), photographed by Richard Avedon in New York, NY for the November 6, 1958 cover of Time Magazine’s 100 Women of the Year issue.

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Guerilla Marketing Playbook

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Have your marketing strategies and tactics become stale and predictable? Do you tell yourself not to rock the boat because what you’re doing seems to be OK, even though you get a nagging “been there, done that” feeling when you click and post marketing content? Listen to your inner voice! It’s telling you that outdated marketing tactics will not deliver the results your organization needs. While there’s no shame if the menu at your restaurant features a couple of grandma’s recipes from World War II because customers love them, the ways you communicate with those nostalgic customers must be in step with the here and now. You may have gotten comfortable with the marketing tactics you’ve been using for the past few years and your customers may be comfortable, too—and that’s exactly why it’s time to stir the pot and shake things up!

Even before the pandemic shutdown pulled the rug out from under us, companies large and small, local and global, B2B and B2C, have experienced intense competition, mixed with political, economic and social instability. Forbes Magazine recently introduced the acronym VUCA—Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous—to describe the current economic landscape. Freelancers and small business owners are especially vulnerable to unstable circumstances. Well-chosen marketing strategies, executed proactively, are integral to your company’s survival.

Guerilla marketing playbook

Like grandma’s century old recipes that are still beloved by many, another 20th century throwback that can be adapted to the 21st is Guerilla Marketing, a term coined by the business writer and advertising executive Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984. Guerilla Marketing borrows the mindset of guerrilla warfare, the Spanish term for a band of soldiers who wage war not as part of the regular troops but as an independent unit that makes surprise raids behind enemy lines and attacks larger, better-funded forces.

Guerilla marketing campaigns use innovative, unconventional promotional marketing tactics whose goal is to shock, surprise and ultimately delight the audience. When at their best, guerilla marketing campaigns are memorable and known to drive (good) publicity and brand awareness. Guerilla-style campaigns are often relatively low-cost and have been used successfully by Freelancers and neighborhood businesses, as well as multinational conglomerates. Below are suggestions for guerilla marketing tactics you may want to consider:

  • Grassroots Marketing A marketing approach that relies on modest resources. Companies that utilize grassroots marketing strategies typically rely on frugal tactics that depend on people’s time. Recruiting friends and family to hand out flyers that announce the opening of a new business in the neighborhood is a classic example of this type of guerilla marketing. The technique is marketing at its most simplistic.
  • Viral or Buzz Marketing A strategy based partly or entirely on word-of-mouth publicity. The word spreads by way of social media, as this guerilla tactic relies on one user sharing a company’s content with those in his/her social network. Instead of trying to generate excitement by itself, viral/ buzz guerrilla marketing relies on enthusiastic fans or customers to organically raise awareness of a product or service, entertainer or business.
  • Projection advertising This guerilla tactic refers to the big-screen projection of large, captivating advertising images onto the sides of buildings or other walls. This style of guerrilla marketing allows companies to personalize promotions, especially for events. Instead of presenting a more permanent form of advertising that requires capital investments or long-term agreements, projection advertising is highly visible, unconventional and unexpected and may be less costly than marketing techniques that would otherwise be used.
  • Ambush Marketing Large sporting events and concerts are favorite locations for unauthorized guerilla marketing “ambush” campaigns. Companies that use this strategy, also known as coat-tail marketing, and are sometimes assumed to be official event sponsors although they are not. Popular within event sponsorships, ambush marketing may be employed as a guerrilla marketing strategy by companies looking to save money as they capitalize on a well-attended event that is occurring.

Solutions that matter 

Regardless of how you shape your company’s marketing campaigns, it’s essential that you understand what customers are looking to achieve or resolve when they do business with you (or others like you). With the knowledge of what customers prioritize and value, you’ll know what creates demand—and that means half of your marketing job is done. You can then create a theme with talking points and images that communicate the solution your audience wants. If you can also place your marketing text and images in an unexpected location (maybe outdoors) that your audience frequents, and keep the costs down as you do, you will have realized the essence of guerilla marketing.

What’s in it for the customer?

Unexpected turns of phrase or doubles-entendres may stroke your sense of creativity, but remember that the purpose of marketing messages, whether you go guerilla or conventional, is to inform (and reassure and reinforce) your audience that your product or service will solve a problem and achieve the objective, whether you’re selling gardening gloves or cashmere sweaters. Your text must succinctly, clearly and perhaps also cleverly, answer the question that customers and prospects silently ask—“What’s in it for me if I buy this”?

Make sure they get the message.

It’s been said that one picture is worth 1,000 words and there’s no doubt that the image(s) used in your campaign can get attention—but don’t let images overwhelm the message you intend to communicate. All marketing thrives on creativity, but don’t allow the artwork to over-shadow the product. The marketer’s goal is to persuade the audience to feel that the product or service being showcased so interesting that s/he desires to buy it.

 Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: The Richard Oscar Burgess House in Providence, RI is best known for its head-turning design created in 1984 by The Armory Revival Company. By leaving a section of the house only partially painted and attaching large simulations of Crayola crayons on the wall, the house is both a marvelous spoof of the obsession about paint color that not infrequently preoccupies new owners of Victorian-era homes and a celebration of mid-1980s urban revitalization.

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10 Under $35: Great Client Gifts 2023

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You can run, but you can’t hide! The December holidays are at your doorstep and asking you to respond accordingly. Yes, it is a chore, and you’ll spend some money, but look at the bright side—-the holidays are much more than a gift-giving obligation. Recognize that the December holidays are your best client outreach and relationship-building opportunity of the year. So if you neglected to include current or lapsed clients on the mailing list for your blog or website, or you hesitated because you worried about looking crass, and decided against including clients when you announced that you’d appear on a podcast or would teach a social media marketing class, your opportunity to rectify that oversight has arrived. December is your gateway to redemption, your big chance to show clients that you remember and value them.

The holiday gifts you send, and to a lesser extent the holiday cards you send, give you entree to reach out in January and diplomatically float the idea of receiving an assignment in the New Year. Reach out with a conversation-starting topic that might persuade your client to schedule a voice, video, or face2face meeting so that you can assess and suggest how your products or services can provide solutions that achieve the client’s objectives. After all, the reason that your client gifts and cards qualify as business expenses is because you’re spending money to support the goal of making more.

Below is my 2023 list of business-appropriate, cost-conscious holiday gifts and I hope you like what you see. Every vendor is different, but you can expect your gifts to arrive on time if you ship before December 10 (that date also applies to the cards you’ll send, whether or not a gift will also be sent). Shop on Black Friday (November 24) and Small Business Saturday (November 25) to catch the sales and get more for your money. Be advised that Christmas falls on the fourth Monday and some offices may be closed on Friday December 22, maybe until Tuesday January 2.

1. Dossier Fragrances

Dossier, the luxury fragrance maker, recently launched its third line of scents: the Wellness Collection. The new line includes sage and black tea, rose and basil, ginger and grapefruit scents that serve as a “sensory gateway, inviting you to embark on a fragrant journey toward balance, serenity, and rejuvenation,” says CEO Sergio Tache.

The Wellness Collection will refresh, re-energize, and rejuvenate, giving you aromatic therapy through fragrance for a heightened scent-sory experience. The Speakeasy Collection is crafted with celebration in mind and captures all the bubbly, warm, or even smoky sensations that come with every sip– or in this case, spritz!

Dossier Originals
$29 each

2. The Weekender Dopp Kit

A rugged, classic pouch to keep all your toiletries in order. Outside, it’s built from heavyweight cotton canvas that will take anything your trip can dish out. Inside the sturdy metal zipper, there’s an additional internal zipper pocket and elastic loops to secure your stuff.

https://www.bespokepost.com/store/line-of-trade-weekender-dopp-kit?clickId=0oizTcy5fxyPUBdy6FSGNz3uUkFVy91Px0Jk2U0&a=m_10078&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=IR&utm_campaign=0oizTcy5fxyPUBdy6FSGNz3uUkFVy91Px0Jk2U0&utm_content=Skimbit%20Ltd.&nb_adid=70438&nb_cid=1804&nb_pid=10078&nb_aname=Online%20Tracking%20Link&nb_atype=ONLINE_TRACKING_LINK&nb_asize=&nb_product_sku=&nb_partner_name=Skimbit%20Ltd.&nb_mtype=mediapartner&nb_partner_shared_id=thespruce.com&nb_platform=impact
$35 each

3. Jiminy’s Doggie Dental Chews

Dog owners adore gifts that have their furry friend in mind! Here is a multi-purpose, cinnamon-flavored chew designed to clean teeth, freshen dog breath and reduce oral inflammation while the chew’s flexible, nubby texture cleans teeth and gums. Cruelty-free superfood ingredients make Jiminy’s Dental Chews the sustainable choice for the health of your dog and our planet. The chews come in four sizes. Jiminy’s dog treats and dog food are also available.

https://www.chewy.com/jiminys-grain-free-cricket-cookie/dp/205078

$9.95 each 5 oz. bag

4. The Pasta Queen Cookbook


TikTok star and social media sensation Nadia Caterina Munno, a.k.a. The Pasta Queen, is opening the recipe box from her online trattoria to share the dishes that have made her pasta royalty. In this delectable antipasto platter of over 100 recipes, cooking techniques, and the tales behind Italy’s most famous dishes (some true, some not-so-true), Nadia guides you through the process of creating the perfect pasta, from Pasta Al Limone to Fettucine Carbonara. The book was a New York Times bestseller. See reader reviews here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321510-the-pasta-queen

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pasta-queen-nadia-caterina-munno/1140976219?ean=9781982195151

$23.99 hard cover

5. Lapgear Tablet Pillow

An unique, triangular-shaped bolster pillow that has a reinforced front pocket that holds your tablet or phone at optimal screen viewing angles, allowing for comfortable and efficient tablet use. The microbead filled cushion allows this tablet pillow to conform comfortably to your lap or any surface while using your tablet. Tuck your phone, device charger, ear buds, or other accessories into the convenient side pocket to keep them handy. Use the snap-on handle to attach the lightweight tablet pillow to your suitcase or backpack when you are on the go. This item is the perfect stand to prop your tablet up and go hands free while streaming your favorite show, shopping online, FaceTime conversations, or playing a game.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/LapGear-Microbead-Tablet-Pillow-with-Phone-Pocket-Gray-Herringbone/268528336

$19.69 each

6. Born to Bloom

Collaborate with Mother Nature to give this combination birthday and December holiday gift that grows and changes every day. Seeds, a glass bottle to grow them in, soil-less growing medium, instructions, and info about what your flower symbolizes are all included. Once the garden has finished blooming, wash the grow bottle and use as a vase. Cork lid doubles as a coaster for the bottle. A lovely gift for gardeners, sentimental types and those who don’t want any “stuff.” (Sorry that I’m over budget here!)

https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/birth-month-flower-grow-kit?clickid=3tTwSAy5JxyPUBdy6FSGNz3uUkFVy6xex0Jk2U0&irgwc=1&utm_source=Skimbit%20Ltd.&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=8444&utm_term=Online%20Tracking%20Link&trafficSource=Impact&sharedid=thespruce.com

$36.00 each

7. Apple Air Tag

The Apple Air Tag is the game-changing remedy for those who habitually misplace keys or wallet and maybe also could use a better way to keep track of a pet. Or maybe they just want to know exactly where their bags are while traveling? The one-tap setup makes it a breeze to connect with an iPhone or iPad all in the Find My app. Selected iPhone models have Precision Finding that will lead users right to your nearby AirTag. If it’s further away, hundreds of millions of Apple devices in the Find My network can help track it down. AirTag is compatible with any iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch device running iOS/iPad OS 14.5 or later. All activity will be anonymous and encrypted for privacy.

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-airtag/airtag?afid=p239%7C1442537&cid=aos-us-aff-ir-1442537

$29 each

8. Queen Bean Coffee Sampler

The coffee sampler is a great way to explore these fabulous coffees, available in six (6) contain quarter-pound packs. While you cannot chose specific coffees, Queen Bean invites you to provide a basic guideline, e.g., a random sample, sustainable single origins, dark roasts, flavors, decafs, etc. If you aren’t sure what you like, we suggest you order the random pick or send an email to help you figure out your coffee type. When ordering, please use the comment box to indicate if you would like ground or whole bean coffee.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/489146056/coffee-sampler?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=coffee+samplers+gift&ref=sc_gallery-1-1&sts=1&plkey=da64bda243454aefb4e84ebf5bb733cb02c8266e%3A489146056
$29.90 for six (6) + $8.50 shipping

9. Cantaloupe & Prawns

Celebrate the colors and ambience of the Mediterranean this holiday when you choose this lovely (unframed) art print created by Maggie Cowles, a freelance artist and illustrator whose has been shown in galleries in Tokyo, London, Paris and Los Angeles.

https://society6.com/product/cantaloupe-prawns_print?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&sku=s6-21353150p4a1v45&utm_source=cj&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2114&utm_content=100017238&utm_id=5370367&utm_term=14068151&cjevent=70c9033a84b911ee829514e90a82b821
$27.20 (regularly $34.00)

10. Charity Choice Holiday Gift Certificate

In this holiday season, allow your client gift to demonstrate your company’s values. Charity Choice, an official donation site of the American Red Cross, will enable your clients to support a cause that resonates with them. As your client gives back, you present a positive image of social responsibility for you and your company. You choose the giving level and your recipient chooses the cause to support. You decide the format that your client receives—digital card via email or physical gift card that is mailed either to you or to your client on your behalf.

https://www.charitygiftcertificates.org/#GiveGiftCards

$25.00 each (also $10, $50 & $100)

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: ©Library of Congress / Science Source. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962) served as First Lady of the U.S. March 1933 to April 1945. She was the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), who served as PTOS March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945.

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Build Buzz with Good Word-of-Mouth

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Word-of-mouth marketing is still the most powerful marketing tool for most businesses, along with an ad that appears during the Super Bowl. In a study conducted by Nielson, the global media insight company, “Global Trust in Advertising”, 83% of responders said they trust the recommendations of friends and family most of all. A study done by McKinsey showed that 20-50% of all purchases are influenced by word-of-mouth marketing.

Positive comments, reviews and recommendations are powerful—don’t underestimate them. Face2Face and online conversations started by you, your customers and even potential referral sources are among the most valuable marketing assets available. Positive talk contributes to your brand’s reputation. Business owners and marketers who take the initiative to build a word-of-mouth marketing strategy can create a steady drumbeat of customer conversations that have the potential to generate new business. User experiences drive word-of-mouth marketing, mostly fueled by product customer recommendations and reviews.

Engage on social media

Social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Pinterest and Snapchat, are tools that amplify your word-of-mouth advertising. Communicate with your customers, solve problems and build your referral network by way of your preferred social media platforms (and also your company website).

Quick response to questions and complaints.

Not all customer experiences will be positive ones, but the right approach can make all the difference. Being proactive about complaints can turn dissatisfied customers into your most loyal brand advocates. Stepping up your response time and personalizing customer care can cement your positive reputation—within four hours, ideally.

Email marketing outreach

Using email to communicate regularly with customers and prospects who have requested to be on your mailing list helps them remember you and brings in repeat business. If you’re regularly providing interesting information, discount coupons, useful how-to articles, or other material customers want, they’ll update friends who have similar interests about the benefits they’ve derived. 

Influencers and brand ambassadors

Although most word-of-mouth marketing is focused on organic engagement, don’t neglect the value of influencer marketing. Having influencers shout out your product or give it a review not only introduces you to a new audience but once again serves as social proof. In fact, recent data shows that reviews are actually considered “the most valuable type of content” that influencers publish. Chances are there are relevant influencers out there that’d be the perfect fit for your brand. If you already have a dedicated customer base, you might alternatively consider starting your own ambassador program.

Reviews and recommendations

It’s been shown that 41% of shoppers say that “robust” online reviews (featuring photos, keywords and more) are important for a positive shopping experience. Potential shoppers will notice that these testimonials are not present and you will be well-served to encourage your happy customers to speak up about what they like abut your company, products and services. Getting good reviews not only represents positive word-of-mouth but also a proven way to gain trust.

Much like user generated content, sometimes scoring reviews is as simple as asking. Ideally, this can be done non-intrusively via email. Many brands implement post-purchase auto-responders to ask for reviews by default, meaning that each purchase is a potential opportunity to earn a much-needed review.

But how you ask for reviews matters. Beyond putting on a smiling face, also consider additional incentives, Your customers’ time is valuable and sweetening the deal is worth it if it means a rave review.

Monitor mentions and respond ASAP to comments.

Do yourself a favor and make sure to respond within 24 hours, and ideally within 4 hours, to customer questions, comments and concerns. accordingly. As you build your brand, your quick, polite and complete responses will be imperative.

  • Respond to all customer questions, comments and concerns
  • Defuse difficult situations and negative comments
  • Keep track of your conversation history so you can build better relationships with customers

Encourage user-generated content

Global brands can easily generate user-generated content but regional and local brands will find it useful to promote their company #hashtags and even customer photo campaigns. Along with your own company photos (hint: start building your photo library!), invite your customers to share photos and feedback. To increase the visibility of your user generated content, try the following:

  • Feature a hashtag (and call-to-action) in your bio, perhaps on Instagram or Twitter, and encourage customers, friends and family to share photos
  • Include invitations for customers to promote hashtags on-site, in-person and via email (see an example below)
  • Regularly publish and re-post user generated content in your content calendar

Share positive reviews and customer testimonials online.

When you do receive positive attention and word of mouth advertising, do not keep it a secret. Share that valuable information online, where the world can see it. Take the initiative to use customer re-posts and re-tweets and into your promotion strategy.

Building buzz for your business and your brand will take time and effort, but the steps you take today will pay dividends tomorrow. Word of mouth advertising is not for sale at any price, but it is the most valuable form of marketing your company can receive. The eight strategies listed above will give you a starting point, but the rest is up to you.

Thank your customers for their business.

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and customers are no exception. While you may have the words printed on receipts or included in email confirmations of sales, or you or your staff may say “Thanks” in person, doing something such as sending a handwritten thank you card to new customers or a returning customer will set you apart as a business who cares about their customers and is worth recommending.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Photographed by Bert Morgan (1904-1986) on the golf course at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, FL circa 1940.

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Maximize Email Marketing ROI

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Email marketing campaigns continue to generate solid returns on the time and money spent to produce them and for that reason the format remains among the most effective marketing strategies one can undertake. Email itself is a tremendously popular communication tool as evidenced by a Statista report that shows as of August 2023, 4.73 billion people globally use email. Better still for marketers, 61% of consumers prefer to hear from companies they’re interested in by way of email.

The emails you compose for campaigns require thought, as does all of the marketing content you produce for publication. As always, your objective is to devise clear and concise messages that have an easily recognizable purpose that resonates with email recipients. Your core theme is the most important component of the email, but there are other factors that shape and influence its impact. Below are eight important actions you can take to enhance the success of your email marketing campaigns and improve the odds that your customer outreach will produce the results you need and, best of all, nurture relationships with your clients and prospects.

1. Irresistible subject line

It’s more than likely that those on your mailing list receive dozens of emails each day. How do you convince these busy people to click on your message? Seduce them with your subject line! Maybe it’s amusing or maybe it’s a tad outrageous, but it’s definitely an eye-catching hook that makes the recipient curious enough to click and read.

2. Concise compelling message

Be mindful of the length of your email. Convey your thoughts succinctly. Express your message in simple language and avoid business jargon. For in-depth discussion of a topic, write a short introductory blurb, an abstract, and link to the details.

3. Call-to-action

What would you like your email readers to do, now that you have their attention? Your email needs a purpose—otherwise, why are we having this conversation? You might ask recipients to click a link and leave their contact info, so that the reader can, e.g., RSVP to attend the workshop you’ll teach, schedule an appointment with you, receive the link to a podcast where you were a guest, buy your book, or vote on election day.

4. Image or video

Readers respond to images, whether still or video, that illustrate the purpose of your email campaign. If you include a video, three minutes is your target maximum length.

5. Easy-to-follow layout and graphics

Use spacing and images to break up big chunks of text and make longer emails less intimidating. Choose one font style and use it consistently throughout the email. The idea is to visually please the recipient and literally tempt the eye to linger, look— and read.

6. Cleaned up address list

Holding on to customer email addresses from years ago is understandable — growing an email list is challenging. However, email data becomes obsolete at an average pace of 23% annually, so it makes sense to regularly monitor the accuracy of your mailing list. Check the bounce rate and either delete or correct invalid addresses. When more than 2% of emails bounce back, your company begins to look like a spammer to inbox providers and your emails will be sent to spam files as a result.

7. Follow-up with customers

Getting a reply from one of your subscribers is email marketing gold. Whether they’re writing back to share feedback or ask a question, it shows they care and want to further communicate with you. What’s more, replies are good for email deliverability as inbox providers see them as a sign of trust. Ensure you respond to all emails. Ignoring a message from a customer is unacceptable.

8. Document results

Along with the overall bounce rate and the identity of undeliverable emails, study your campaign open rate and check to see who opens, or doesn’t open, your emails. Use your email analytics and tracking to measure the success of campaigns and make data-driven improvements. Hint: monitor the open rate to discover which topics have the largest percentage of recipient opens and let that guide your content choices.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Keystone View Company (1902). A Letter from Pat in America Young Irish woman reading a letter from a relative in America to an older woman outside of a thatch-roofed stone cottage.

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Recipe For A Winning 4th Quarter Finish

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Ready, set, win! In business and in life, it’s not where you start it’s where you finish. When the bell rings at the end of the game—the end of the year—with all your heart, you want to be a winner. Whatever you’ve experienced this year, whether you struggled to close deals or were touched by an angel, your performance in the fourth quarter is going to be impactful. I think it’s safe to say that you’re motivated to leave no stone unturned as you aim to close out 2023 with a victory.

The 4th quarter officially begins on October 1 and summer ends on September 22, but you’re about ready to kick-off your year-end sprint now that September has arrived. It’s time to go full speed ahead; optimizing your visibility to potential customers and referral sources can be the wind at your at your back. Start your campaign by identifying organizations and venues that sponsor programs that align with your brand and will bring you and your company to the attention of the right decision-makers. Your objective is to position yourself as an expert, thought leader and trustworthy professional who, BTW, can deliver solutions to a certain target market and make those who hire you look good. Here are a few strategies that when implemented will propel you out of the starting gate and toward the year-end finish line.

Elevator pitch

You’ll have two or three versions of varying lengths that correspond to the person you meet but in general your elevator pitch , which is an introduction to you, your company and your product or service, should be 20-40 seconds long. Your name and the company name, what you do, for whom you do it (i.e., your typical client) and the primary benefit (outcomes) delivered are what you want to communicate. Hone your pitch until you can define your venture in just a couple of punchy sentences.  An effective elevator pitch will grab the interest of the listener, showcase your mission and get people hooked on your vision, all in less than one minute.

Personal brand

It’s not unusual to confuse reputation with the personal brand, but the two are not interchangeable. Reputation is earned and acquired, influenced by how you behave and communicate. It is external and reflects how others see you.  

Your personal brand, on the other hand, is internal and intentional. It’s also aspirational and is based on how you’d like others to see you. It’s your preferred identity, your unique selling proposition and what sets you apart from competitors.

 Personal branding involves creating and communicating a compelling story about yourself, maintaining a professional demeanor and nurturing a reputation that positions you as trustworthy and dependable. Remember that your brand reflects your core values and purpose, it should resonate with your target audience and inspire their loyalty and respect.

Networking

Networking is the process of meeting and greeting, having conversations and getting to know colleagues and competitors so that you can exchange information, find common ground and develop professional or social contacts. Once in a while, you might be lucky enough to meet someone who becomes a real friend.

You’ll find opportunities to network wherever you meet people. The essence of successful networking isn’t about what someone can do for you; it’s about what you can do for them. Ideally, the experience of networking results in win-win outcomes. The best networking agenda is to create value, be a resource and forge genuine relationships, so that you and your network will support one another.

Social media

Whether your preferred platform is LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok, establishing a consistent presence on social media will be a key element in your strategy to maintain visibility in your professional sector. Keep your audience engaged with promotional content, industry insights, interesting company updates and behind-the-scenes peeks, leavened with a dash of your charismatic personality. Because your customers and prospects feel more comfortable doing business with those they feel they know, make your content relatable.

Content marketing

Content is king, but not just anything will do. The content that you produce—text, visual, audio—must give the information and tell the stories that your clients and prospects find meaningful. Your content must also be high-quality, engaging and impactful to tell a memorable story , communicate your expertise and nurture your community. As well, remember that content marketing sidesteps a hard sell.

The format is about providing valuable insights, stimulating conversation and showcasing your genius to the audience. Publishing a blog and/or newsletter that explores topics that interest your target audience, producing or taking a guest spot on webinars and/or podcasts that allow you to personally speak to subjects you explore in your blog and/or newsletter posts are standard B2B content that you’ll post on your website and social media sites or send to your email marketing list. Creating video clips that show you engaged in a local charity event, receiving an award that honors your volunteer work, or even a clip of you decorating your office for the holidays are among the visual content possibilities you might use to present a less formal and more relatable aspect of yourself.

Public speaking

Public speaking opportunities are plentiful these days; your task is to identify venues that deliver your target audience. Panels, webinars, workshops, podcasts, rotary clubs or the chamber of commerce provide great venues for speakers.

If the very idea of public speaking gives you butterflies in the belly, start small and build your speaking skills. Practice in front of a mirror, practice and record yourself on your smartphone. Joining a panel or being a guest on a webinar or podcast are good ways to gain experience and build your confidence, as you get exposure to an audience that might bring you a customer or a referral. Soon, you’ll be commanding the room and leading the conversation in your industry. Public speaking is an investment with dividends in credibility, authority and a wider audience reach.

Press releases and media spotlight

While self-promotion is vital, third-party validation is perceived as impartial and objective and for those reasons, articles that appear in the media have the most credibility. Earned media is the term; to approach media outlets and invite them to in some way include you and your company in a feature, you must make contact with journalists or editors with press releases.

Journalists traffic in stories that they feel will interest their readers (or viewers), so your objective to obtain earned media must be based on a story that the media outlet’s audience will value. Write a press release when you win a business award, when you’re scheduled to appear on a local (or national!) television program, or when you’ll participate in a visible way in a noteworthy charitable event in your community. The story you’d like to share must be enticing and relevant to the publication’s audience. If done consistently and with viable story angles, media features can provide immense visibility and position you as a thought leader in your field.

Guest posts, podcasts, webinars

Engaging with your audience in virtual real-time has become standard practice in the digital era. There are now hundreds of podcasts and webinars broadcast nearly every day. More than just a knowledge-sharing medium, webinars and live sessions nurture a sense of community and belonging. They facilitate connection between you and your audience, fostering a dialogue that’s both dynamic and personal. The topic of your podcast or webinar session and information shared must deliver value to the audience.

Expand your writing credits and your reach by guest posting on popular industry blogs. Be sure to return the favor and occasionally invite a guest blogger to write for you and gain new readers as you do. Guest posting gives you exposure to a broader audience and solidifies your position as an industry expert. Whether you are the host or a guest, podcasts are a fantastic platform for showcasing your insights, opinions and your unique perspectives.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: West Aurora, IL High School’s Victoria “Tori” Spagnola, left, wins the 300-meter hurdles race. Alexandra Johnson, right. (June 2021)