Practice Patience
For local business owners worldwide and in Southern Oregon, the three keywords for opening or running a business are location, location, and location. In today's economic and marketing environment, the new three keys to success are patience, patience, and patience....
Brand Development Doesn’t Have to be Expensive
I'm continually amazed at how often we, in the marketing profession and those in business, assume that brand development has to be expensive! This misnomer is honestly come by, though, because it's easy to spend a lot of money on...
Fun Marketing Campaigns Can Make Your Brand Memorable
What's your claim to fame? How is your brand memorable in your community? Are you the go-to business for sponsoring non-profits either monetarily or with volunteers? Do you have a big annual blowout sale? Do you get wacky at Halloween...
Reputation Management: Your Brand on the Web
The Web. Twitter. Facebook. Biznik. Foursquare. Merchant Circle. Blogs and Comments. If you're not at least aware of how these websites are already affecting your Brand - it's time to figure out online reputation management, NOW. Whether or not you...
5 Reasons a Local Business Owner Should be Involved in Social Media
There are many reasons that every local business should be involved in local social media. I’ve found that if it takes more than five reasons, they are afraid of what they don’t understand or of change. To go beyond five,...
Using Social Media Apps with Promotions
We're rolling out social media promotions for a local client of ours. The business will be giving away a pair of season tickets to the Oregon Ducks 2010 Football season. A hot ticket! The Ducks went to the Rose Bowl...
Media Fragmentation, It Always Seems To Happen
How much has social media fragmentation affected your audience, and at what cost? Traditional media tries to entertain an audience and keep it so they can then sell advertising within that form of entertainment. While the programming and editorial content...
Tiny Brand Moments: : The Power of Consistent Branding in Everyday Actions
Running a business is no easy feat. It's a delicate balancing act that requires you to juggle many responsibilities: meeting customer needs, managing tight deadlines, and often directing employees—all while keeping your brand front and center. With so much on...
Thoughts on Traditional Media Meeting Social Media
I saw a commercial the other night from Coleman, the lantern and overnight camp gear company. They claimed they were the original social network, pretty clever, I thought, and pretty much on target. While brands that target a younger and...
Social Marketing: Why it matters.
We do believe that social media and social marketing have radically altered advertising. We believe social media can level the playing field between Madison Avenue and local business owners. It's not a fad; the landscape of social media has changed...
Lessons in Brand Authenticity
I stumbled across a question posed on LinkedIn this morning that got me thinking. The question was: How do you see social platforms evolving in the future? While I answered it from a personal standpoint, I neglected to answer from...
Brand Identity Design – Creating Good Corporate Identity
The next step on the Finding Brand journey is to begin looking at and updating your corporate identity (ID). (Don't miss out, you can catch up here.) Corporate ID is your letterhead, fax covers, business cards, PowerPoint Templates, envelopes, and...
Who is your ideal customer? Do you really know?
I've met hundreds of local business owners in my years of selling media. When asked to describe their ideal customers or clients, they usually explained who they wished their customers were and not who their customers actually were. They may...
Why the answer should be “Yes” to an Ad Agency
In any business, it is essential to stand for something. If you don't stand for anything, why go through the hassle of running your own business? Knowing what and where you stand is just the beginning. You have to consistently...
Brand Evolution
You've got your tagline; you know what your brand position stands for, and you've looked hard at your business to see what fits and doesn't. (If you haven't, it's OK, you can catch up here.) So now comes the BIG...
Brand Identity: Branding by Walking Around
Assuming you've been following along, you should know what your brand identity stands for (if not, check previous posts on this blog for what you missed). Now, the fun begins. Find every nook and cranny, every opportunity to tie into your...
Twitter Marketing Strategy: Tweeting with Frequency
As any good radio account executive or business owner knows, frequency is necessary for radio. I'd argue that frequency is critical for Twitter's marketing strategy as well. With radio being the active medium, users are usually active in what they...
Top of Mind Branding
Branding is a long process. It's not easy, and it costs money and doesn't create immediate traffic. Trust me, many times along this journey to a great brand, you'll have to remind yourself why you're embarking on this endeavor. So...
Using Social Media Branding Strategy to Build Your Brand
Know your audience! Engage your audience. Social Media is no exception. With little room for error in today's economy for small business owners, embracing the social media revolution and using it correctly with traditional media is essential. Just as there...
Your Brand Manifesto: Your Secret Sauce
Congratulations on Your New Brand Position! OK, so you've found your new brand position. You've taken the time to discuss it with your key stakeholders and get their buy-in. This foundational step is essential because it defines what your brand...
