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If you’re one of the people who thinks about what branding like a boss might mean, but you don’t want to invest too much time in it, you’re not alone. So many small-business entrepreneurs believe that branding is unimportant. They think, “Oh, I’ll get to that,” or “I don’t really need that right now.” They think that branding is a marketing tool for bigger companies.
In course 26, Branding Like A Boss, Jill talks with the fantastic marketing guru Danny Schuman of Twist, a brand marketing firm that boasts such clients as Gatorade, Allstate, and Hershey’s. He didn’t start his career as a strategist, but he was an ad executive and spent plenty of time as a writer. He found that having a strategy got results. He’s seen a lot, done a lot, and always thinks creatively to solve problems.
Spoiler alert: You need branding (yes, you, full-time mom warrior and business owner) because it’s a vital step in building a business.
If you think that branding is going to take up all of your time, think again. The fact is, it shouldn’t take a lot of time. Best of all, it’s a process that can be revised over and over again. When you hit the right branding strategy, you’ll know it.
In this video course, you’ll learn:
Remember, largely thanks to the rise of social media, there’s so much instant gratification when it comes to buying and selling products which means that consumers can instantly compare and contrast. A brand strategy allows you to differentiate, which is extremely important – especially when you consider that most decision making is done in a split second. Consumers aren’t spending time agonizing over whether or not to buy from you; they’re going with what they trust, what they love, and who makes them feel good.
Having a brand strategy builds that trust and that loyalty which means that a buyer’s split second decision goes positively just the way you want it to. Essentially, you’re building a relationship that will lead to a sale time and time again.
Of course, the key here is focus: your brand strategy must be focused; otherwise, you won’t get very far. It’s great if your product does have broad market appeal, but it doesn’t do much in the way of targeting. Schuman says to think of it like a bullseye: If the inner circle is buying what you’re selling, chances are, others will want to buy it too. Each circle spills out onto the next. If done well, the outer circles want to aspire to be like the inner one – that’s your brand strategy at work.
A brand strategy without focus will not resonate. If you’re not unique or specific enough, people won’t have a preference – and you’d rather that they have a preference (preferably, your brand). Think of Pepsi or Coke. People have preferences toward a specific brand, whether they realize it consciously or not. In fact, every time you go shopping in the beverage aisle and pick out a particular brand of soda, that’s a brand strategy in play. Now, think of Staples or Office Depot. Neither one is very memorable, and you’d likely go to one or the other without any strong attachment.
Danny will walk us through his tools, tips, and tricks to become boss branding masters… even if you think that it’s not for you. (If we haven’t said it enough yet, it is.)
I know you can do it. He knows how you can do it. Don’t miss this wildly helpful video course.
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