Use the Brand Perception Snap Shot to Develop Your Brand Strategy

One of the tools that I use to help my clients develop a brand strategy is what I call the Brand Perception Snap Shot.  Branding can be a confusing and overwhelming enigma, but the Brand Perception Snap Shotenables you to cut through the clutter and get down to what really matters.

You can take the Brand Perception Snap Shot by answering the three questions below:

1. What 5 words would you use to describe your brand today?
2. What 5 words would your customers use to describe your brand today?
3. What 5 words do you want to be used in the future to describe your ultimate brand (i.e., when your brand reaches your biggest, pie-in-the-sky goals)?

To complete your Brand Perception Snap Shot, simply review the words you used to answer the questions above.  Identify the gaps and successes.  These are the areas you need to focus on as you begin to develop your long-term brand strategy and short-term tactics that will help you reach those pie-in-the-sky goals.

Image: stock.xchng

The Most Powerful Brands Own a Word in Consumers’ Minds – Does Yours?

When a brand owns a word in consumers’ minds, that brand has been effectively positioned against its competition.  Think of it this way: Some of the most recognizable brands in the world “own” a word in consumers’ minds.  Here are some examples from the automotive industry:

• Cadillac = luxury
• BMW = performance
• Kia = affordability

Think of some of your favorite brands.  What word pops into your head first when you think of those brands?  It’s very possible that the word you think of is the same word that the majority of consumers think of in relation to that brand, and that means the company behind that brand has done an excellent job of positioning the brand and communicating the brand’s message, image and promise to consumers.

Owning a word in consumers’ minds is the ultimate goal for brand managers, and you can do it with your brand, too. [Read more]

Fight, Flight or Flood – How to Respond to a Negative Online Buzz about You or Your Business

People talk about things that are meaningful to them. They’ve been talking about products, brands, businesses and people offline since the first means of communication were created. Therefore, it’s not surprising that people today talk on the social Web. The global conversation is loud and powerful, and it can positively or negatively affect your, your brand, and your business.

But what should you do when someone says something negative about you or your business online?

This is one of the most common fears of individuals and businesses considering leveraging the social Web conversation to build their reputations, brands and businesses, and unfortunately, it’s one of the main reasons that people and companies are not getting the results they want and need from their social media efforts.

Don’t be afraid to let the audience take control of the conversation. That’s where the power of the social Web comes from in terms of building brands and businesses. And if someone publishes something negative about you or your business online, don’t try to squash the conversation. Overtly trying to control the conversation can do far more harm to your reputation than good. Instead, follow one of the three paths described below to effectively respond to a negative online buzz about you, your brand, or your business.

1. Fight

While you don’t want to appear controlling nor do you want to stop the online conversation (even if it’s negative), you can fight without looking like a bully. Join the conversation and nudge it in the right direction (i.e., the direction that is best for you and your business) by addressing misconceptions, admitting mistakes, and demonstrating your desire to fix them and put customers first. The more time you spend building your audience of brand advocates across the social Web, the more you’ll start to see those people standing up for you. Therefore, the fight path offers two effective options — nudging conversations yourself and allowing your band of brand advocates to nudge it for you. [Read more]

5 Guaranteed Ways to Establish Your Reputation as an Expert via Social Media

My newest article on Forbes.com is called 5 Guaranteed Ways to Establish Your Reputation as an Expert in Your Field via Social Media and explains the 5 simple steps you need to take to build your online brand.

Those five steps are:

1. Publish shareworthy content.
2. Go multimedia.
3. Leverage the features of social media tools.
4. Join organizations and groups that actively seek experts for media opportunities.
5. Integrate and cross promote your efforts.

You can get all the details by following the above link to read the full article.  Also, don’t forget to inject your personality into your online communications!

The Ultimate Brand Champion – Hugh Hefner

Brand champions can be extremely powerful, and this week, I wrote an article that was published on the Yahoo! Advertising Blog about the ultimate brand champion – Hugh Hefner.

Here is a snippet from the article:

There is perhaps no other brand in the world which has been so closely aligned with a single person as Playboy has been with Hugh Hefner for over half a century. And there is no arguing the influence that a visible brand champion who truly lives and breathes a brand can have on the success (or failure) of that brand.

You can follow the link to learn more about brand champions and Hugh Hefner as the ultimate brand champion, and you can get my book, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way, for more information about branding lessons you can learn from Playboy.

Who do you think is the ultimate brand champion?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Weekly Wrap up – Marketing and Branding

Check out Susan Gunelius’ articles and posts published across the Web this week:

Corporate Branding and Marketing

• Branding from Within: The Importance of Internal Brand Building
• Brands Really Can Connect with Consumers through Online Video Ads
• Apple and Google – Friends or Foes?

Small Business Branding and Marketing

• 20 Questions to Ask and Requirements to Define before You Hire a Business Blogger
• 6 Twitter Apps to Track Your Twitter Performance

Copywriting

• 3 Ways to Move Consumers to Action

Weekly Wrap-up — Marketing, Branding and More

Check out Susan Gunelius’ articles and posts published across the Web this week:

Corporate Branding and Marketing

• Early Adopters have Significant Influence on Brand Success
• Potato Chips and Flickr – A Happy New Social Media Marketing Tactic
• Are You Talking to the Right People about Your Brand Online?

Small Business Branding and Marketing

• Why Your Local Business Must be Online and 20 Easy Ways to Do It
• Affordable and Targeted Small Business Advertising on Facebook
• 3 Reasons Your Small Business Should Have a Mobile App

Women in Business and Careers

• Inspiring Women Business Leaders – Christie Hefner

Time to Define Your Personal Brand

I just started writing for the Forbes.com Work in Progress blog, and I wanted to share my first article here with the KeySplash Creative Conversations audience since it’s related to marketing.

The article is called Define Your Personal Brand and discusses the importance of developing your personal brand image, message and promise online.

Follow the link above to learn both the why’s and how’s of online personal brand building.

Def Leppard Animated Series Could Become a Reality

In the late 1980s when I was 17, Def Leppard’s Hysteria album was at the top of the charts in the U.S.  My friends and I got tickets to see the band perform at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

One of my friends and I were able to sneak down from our first tier seats to the floor and ended up in the front row at the center of the stage.  We had a blast, and I still remember her dancing on the roof of my parents’ car in the parking lot afterward and denting the it.  We punched it back into shape, but a small dent lingered that I could always see from my second story bedroom window that overlooked our driveway whenever the car was parked there.  I always wondered if my parents ever noticed it (sorry about that Mom and Dad).

Today, about 20 years later, I read an article on the MediaFreak blog about a new deal Def Leppard is considering that might include an animated series.  I could write all kinds of things about marketing and branding related to this odd development, but I won’t.  Instead, I’ll leave my post with this food for thought …

Pick and choose your brand extensions carefully.  Remain focused and don’t forget your core audience.

I may not have listened to my old Hysteria album in a long time, but I still remember all the words to Pour Some Sugar on Me and I sing out loud when it comes on the radio.  However, I don’t think I’d ever watch a Def Leppard animated series, and I can’t foresee such a series drawing in a broad, new audience either.

How about you?

Building Brand Value the Playboy Way Review

Mary Emma Allen of b5media’s HomeBizNotes.com blog published a review of my latest book, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way, last week, which I’d like to share with you.

You can read the full review here!

Next Page »