Authentic, Creative, Innovative, Approachable
Trustworthy, Trendy, Cool, Desirable, Reliable
Relevant, Honest, Flexible, Unique, Relevant

How you define the personality determines the tone and voice of your brand, and therefore all your communications. A brand that is “hip, cool, trendy” sounds decidedly different from one that is “honest, trustworthy, reliable”.




Brand Message: What do you customers need from you? Why should they choose your brand of product or service over another one? What can your brand deliver that no one else can? The answers to these questions form the foundation of your messages. I have found it useful to create three core messages based on these customer needs. Each of these messages needs to be supported by “proof points” which are specific, measurable and relevant to the audience. For example, think of Brand X as a car.

Brand X is BETTER: safety record, flexible seating arrangements, trade-in options
Brand X is CHEAPER: gas mileage, insurance premiums, maintenance costs
Brand X is FASTER: redesigned engine, chassis, performance measurements

Which of these messages best reflects the brand is based on the brand personality and the needs of our customers. It is not based on what we think sounds good, what is easy for us to prove, or what our boss thinks. At least it shouldn’t be anyway…




Brand Identity: Ask ten graphic designers their opinion of a company logo and you’ll get ten different answers. Brand design is the aesthetic that communicates the underlying message and personality of the brand. There are five core elements to any brand identity:

Logo
Tagline
Typography
Photography
Color

How these elements work together are explained in “Brand Guidelines”. These help anyone working with the brand know what to do and not to do with the brand. Combined with templates (Presentations, documents or web pages for example) and standardized collateral (business cards, signage and such) your brand begins to take form. From here on, it is all about execution.

• Why do my customers choose our brand over another?
• What do we do that our competitors don’t?
• What is the one thing that we would protect over anything else?

Your answers will lead you towards clarifying your competencies. Take them, build on them and make them to focus of your branding (and business) efforts. When your brand is built on passion, it is authentic. There is an honesty that comes from doing what you like to do. You can’t make that up and you certainly can’t fake it.

• Pay attention: create Google alerts for your company name, brand names, etc. Monitor where you brand is being mentioned and in what context. It’s next to impossible to influence how the brand is being represented if you don’t know where you’re being mentioned.
• Be active: identify the key places where your brand is being mentioned and get involved. Participate in discussions relevant to your brand but not where you are directly mentioned. You will get insights into the tone of the conversations and understand more how to position your brand appropriately.
• Acknowledge feedback: when someone posts something negative, acknowledge their issue. Let them know you heard what they were saying. Explain your response, but don’t try and justify your position, as you will only serve to annoy them further.










]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2010/01/05/your-brand-is-being-created-with-or-without-you/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/22/don%e2%80%99t-get-caught-up-in-the-hype/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/22/don%e2%80%99t-get-caught-up-in-the-hype/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:06:39 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=354 So…you have an exciting strategy; your messages are relevant and consistently integrated throughout your brand and all customer touch points. Now you need an actionable marketing plan that delivers your message to your customers in ways that will increase the chance that they will pay attention, and ultimately buy your stuff.




There is a lot of talk about the latest new trend (Twitter, vblogs or who-knows-what’s-next) and the coolest new technology. However, these things are only useful if they are being used by your target customers. This point bears repeating…these things are only useful if they are being used by your target customers. This is the kind of thing that sounds so simple – it is common sense. Unfortunately, it isn’t commonly practiced.




It is critical to the success of your brand that you identify customer-preferred communication vehicles and prioritize those above things that are “really hot” at the moment. While they may be the latest fad, they might not generate the results you want.




Different marketing tools are good at doing different things – think screwdrivers and hammers. This is, again, why it is so important to know what your goals and objectives are so that you can select the right tools for the job. The right balance between online and offline marketing vehicles ensures that you are reaching your target customers in a variety of ways which will improve your overall results – whether they are to increase awareness or to generate demand.




For example, if you are a start-up just launching your company, you need to generate awareness that you exist. PR is a very cost-effective tool to do this. You also need a website to explain what the company does. To get the ball rolling you might launch an email and/or direct mail campaign with an introductory offer so that customers connect their business problem with your company. If you are a small company trying to generate demand, a combination of webinars and SEO with speaking engagements and telemarketing could prove to be very effective at generating quality leads. It is important to focus on the quality of the lead rather than the volume generated as the conversion rates tend to be much higher.




It is easy to get excited about the latest technology and cool marketing techniques. Be careful, and remember that the end result is to achieve the business objectives – which is typically to sell more of your stuff. This means you don’t need to do everything, but you need to strategically select a few key vehicles and do them exceptionally well.













]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/22/don%e2%80%99t-get-caught-up-in-the-hype/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/15/consistency-consistency-consistency/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/15/consistency-consistency-consistency/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:48:18 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=349 In the world of Real Estate it is all about “location, location, location”. In the world of marketing it is all about consistency. In conjunction with a sound brand strategy, you need a clear and concise message that resonates with your customers. These messages need to be integrated across your brand and into every customer touch point. Now, you don’t need to use the same words over and over. However, each communication needs to reinforce the key messages that have been developed to support the brand. It is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts – when the brand are consistently conveyed across multiple touch points, the customer is left with a clear understanding of what the company, product, service, or solution is and how it solves their problem. Simply put, they know what your brand is about.




Unfortunately, as marketers we often get bored with the messages we’ve developed. We’ve spent hours fine-tuning them and testing them. Finally, our campaigns launch and the messages are out there, but by that time they feel old and stale to us. There is a difference between a “fresh” message (with unique language, a clever play on words, a connection to a current event) and a “different” message (not aligned with strategy, not related to existing messages, different for the sake of being different). Research shows that it takes anywhere from five to nine impressions for an individual to actually internalize a marketing message. That means they need to see it over and over again. Not the same words, but the same idea supported by the same brand.




For example, an article in a trade publication mentions the company and their new product; the customer sees an online banner ad, they click on it, and get to a landing page with a compelling offer; they do a Google search to see what else comes up and there is a link to your latest white paper; at an industry tradeshow the company has a booth and is hosting a panel discussion…and the story continues. With consistent use of key messages across multiple touch-points your customers comes away with the sense that your company is worth their consideration.




Now you have a place to start engaging and driving purchase decisions. This model holds true for consumer and business marketing. People are people, whether they are buying high-end mission-critical software or a new plasma HDTV for their living room. They have a problem. Through your consistent messages, you have convinced them to consider your product or service as they evaluate their options. You still have to convince them that your product or solution is really the only one that really addresses all their needs – from technical specifications to user support, maintenance and financing (again, these apply to consumer and business purchases.)




Again, consistency is key. You customers need to see and feel that your company is honest and trustworthy. If there is a disconnect between what you say and what they experience, you will lose the sale, and probably the customer. So, while consistency in messaging is important…consistency in execution is critical. Both pieces of this puzzle need to be addressed in order for the whole thing to work. If you only focus on the messaging, then your experience will fall flat. If you don’t explain your differences and benefits, then you won’t get the chance to display your stellar experience. No matter how you look at it, consistency is the key to growing you brand and your business.








]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/15/consistency-consistency-consistency/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/08/branding-is-a-balancing-act/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/08/branding-is-a-balancing-act/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:44:39 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=344 All to often companies find themselves with a brilliant strategy – on paper at least. When they try to implement the strategy, they run into obstacles such as channels, partners, technology, infrastructure, competition, or lack of resources. The reverse is also true. Companies can spend so much time executing that they lose sight of the business objective. They might end up with an awesome website, but no real results.




Effective brands, that is, brands that deliver on their promise and help companies sell more stuff, are those that find the right balance between strategy and tactics, between images and words, between effect and affect. Every brand is made up of several different components: visuals, messages, voice, and personality, for example. Each of these is integrated into specific deliverables like a company logo or tagline or photographic style. The trick is to find the right combination and then apply them consistently throughout everything you do.




It starts with strategy – how will you achieve your objectives? Depending on your brand promise some strategies are going to be more effective than others. For example, you probably won’t see Nascar investing in “environmentally-friendly” campaigns; you would expect it from Starbucks. There are lots of different ways to achieve your objectives. Make sure that your strategies align with your brand promise and that you can actually implement them. This is what I call the “duh” test. Run the strategies by a colleague, friend or spouse and see what they think. If they ask you a question and your reaction is “duh”…you might want to rethink the strategy.




Next come the tactics – what exactly will you do to implement the strategy? If your strategy was to grow your market share by expanding into new markets, a tactic might be to partner with a complementary brand in the new market to jump start your brand recognition. This might require a joint email campaign, billboards and local ads on radio and TV. The key is to align the tactics with the strategy so that everything is in support of the brand. Otherwise, you end with a lot of random activities – all of them are probably pretty cool on their own – but together they don’t deliver.




To be valuable, strategy must be practical, and tactics must be integrated. With the right balance of strategy and tactics, your brand will grow and so will your business.








]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/12/08/branding-is-a-balancing-act/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/11/30/what%e2%80%99s-your-brand-promise/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/11/30/what%e2%80%99s-your-brand-promise/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:42:47 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=333 I did some research earlier this year on the impact of personal brands, and people’s perceptions of what’s important in a brand - personal or otherwise.   Respondents clearly indicated that what affected their perception of a brand were visibility, authenticity and honesty of the brand.  Ok, great…what does this mean to someone trying to build a business and establish their brand? Or what does it mean to a company with an established brand trying to break into a new market with little brand recognition?  You may be surprised to hear me say (or type) that it means the same thing in both situations.




Ultimately, the key is to have a defined brand promise – what is it that your brand stands for?  Based on this you can then begin to prioritize your strategies and define your tactics accordingly.  I have seen, over and over again, where companies jump into the tactics without understanding how they fit, or don’t fit, into the bigger picture.  For example, I once worked on a brand re-design project with a major high-tech computer manufacturer.  We had a well established brand and were trying to reposition it within in the confines of the overall product portfolio.  Plus, we wanted to target a new demographic audience.  Off we went to the branding agency who created several different graphic treatments.  We reviewed them and made changes and came up with what we thought was a brilliant idea – very “off the wall”, especially for this company – but the new demographic “would be drawn to it” we explained to senior management who were having heart palpitations at the very thought of it.  Picture this…a gorilla sitting on top of a PC.   Something was definitely “off”, and it turned out, it was us.




This project never saw the light of day…why?  We completely forgot the established brand promise we had been making, and continued to make, to the market.  This design had nothing to do with the real world – it was graphically outstanding and visually compelling, but who cares?  It didn’t relate at all to our brand promise.




Start by defining your brand promise. Here’s a list of questions to ask:
• What does the company stands for?
• What is the single most important thing that the organization promises to deliver to its customers?
• How do you want customers to feel about your organization after interacting with you?
• What the organization wants its brand to be known for.
• What unique value to you deliver to customers?





Make sure you have agreement across the company – whether it is large or small.  People should be excited about this.  They should be able to rally around this promise and use it to make appropriate business decisions.  If not, then you still have some work to do.  But, I guarantee you, it’s worth it.









]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/11/30/what%e2%80%99s-your-brand-promise/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/10/29/whats-the-point-of-a-brand/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/10/29/whats-the-point-of-a-brand/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:20:09 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=317 We’re all bombarded with thousands of messages each day – personally and professionally. Maybe it’s because of new media like Twitter, LinkedIn or FaceBook. Maybe it’s the internet in general.  Whatever the cause, the effect is the same. The volume of marketing messages is overwhelming to most Americans. In fact, 60 percent have signed up for the do-not-call registry; 33 percent have installed Web pop-up blockers, and nine percent have signed on to a do-not-e-mail list (and 40 percent may want to). So the question is: “How do you break through in this environment?” 


One answer: branding.





Everyone has a different definition of branding – everything from your logo, your message, to your visions and personality.  Each of these is correct in a way.  My definition (just so we’re clear) is that a brand is a promise; a promise of authenticity and value and sets our expectations about the product or service we associate with the brand.


That’s all well and good, but here’s the real question:  What’s the point of having a catchy slogan if it doesn’t strengthen or support your business? Why invest in PR if it doesn’t translate into increased awareness and recognition? Why go to tradeshows if they don’t produce high-quality leads? Branding, or a promise to your customers, is a way to differentiate yourself in a crowded market so your company can sell more stuff.  Short and simple.


Independently, without a coherent brand strategy, these tactics do little to attract customers and drive revenue. However, as part of an integrated brand and marketing strategy, these and other tactics are the foundation that will deliver results for your business. Sounds simple, right? Well, often the simplest things are the hardest to do.


Here are three things you can do today to make sure your brand is doing it’s job - helping your company sell more stuff.
1.    Look at your website: Is your brand consistently applied on your website?  Do you use the same logo, or do you have multiple logos scattered about the place?  What about your messaging, are you delivering similar yet different messages and confusing your customers?
2.    Ask 10 people what they think: You want to know what they think your brand stands for.  Hopefully you get similar responses, and hopefully they are right on target.  If not, well, you have more work to do.
3.    Step out of the box: Life doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  Step outside your company and look at what’s going on around you.  Is your brand relevant in today’s market?  Are you linking with current events and trends?


Marketing should get people’s attention, and convince them to consider your company’s products or services over the competition. An integrated brand including strategy, messages, visual identity, and other marketing tactics extends the impact of your marketing investments. You can more efficiently and effectively improve awareness, produce leads and ultimately drive revenue. After all, isn’t that the point?







]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/10/29/whats-the-point-of-a-brand/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/10/06/seth-godin-has-rules-too/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/10/06/seth-godin-has-rules-too/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:17:27 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=300 I first saw this video last year of Seth Godin at the O’Reilly Tools of Change Conference, and it made its way to me again today.   If you’re interested in branding and marketing, it’s worth 30 mins of your time…believe me.


Seth Godin has rules too


After re-watching it, I realized how right on track we are with 42 Rules.  42 Rules is about helping people get their ideas out of theirs heads and out into the world in a variety of formats - books, webcasts, blogs, videos, etc.  Here’s is what I took away from Seth’s rules as it relates to 42 Rules:


• We are doing the right things - just not enough of them
• We invite readers to participate in the conversation - These Are My Rules…What Are Yours?
• We give away content - via Get 5 Rules
• We are strictly permission based



What can you do to apply Seth’s rules to your marketing efforts?  Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you have permission to talk with your audience? Or do you just think you do and are hoping for the best…
• Are your ideas worth sharing?  Are they the words you hope your audience cares about, or, are they the ideas your audience cares about in your words?
• Why are you doing what you do?  Because you’re passionate about it, or,  because you hope to make money at it?



The key is to understand yourself, understand your audience and identify where the two intersect.  That is how you build your brand and your business.







]]> http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/10/06/seth-godin-has-rules-too/feed/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/07/29/the-rules-according-to-me/ http://42rules.com/lauralowell/2009/07/29/the-rules-according-to-me/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:38:25 +0000 admin http://42rules.com/lauralowell/?p=123 Well, I’m finally doing it. I’m actually doing what I tell my clients and authors to do…consolidate your blogs so you don’t spread yourself too thin. At one point I had three blogs going…Marketing, Working Moms and Livin’ la vida Lowell (our family blog about our year-long adventure to move to Spain). Needless to say, I wasn’t doing a very good job keeping them all up-to-date.

So my plan is to keep all my thoughts in one place and to talk about the things I love..books, branding, building successful businesses, my kids, our life, and random observations about other stuff I find interesting, funny or worth passing along. I hope you enjoy it and share your thoughts on the things you find interesting and funny and worth passing along.

Thanks for visiting.

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