Build Customer Loyalty with Good Business Manners
GO THE EXTRA MILE
Customer retention is a popular buzzword these days, but real customer loyalty starts with the first contact and is reinforced by progressively proactive communication. To increase your customer retention, start by teaching your own people good business manners. Show them how to relieve your customer’s potential...
Personal Brand Means Reputation
HOW’S YOUR BRAND?
Today the definition of the word brand has evolved to mean reputation, and even feelings about a product, service, organization, or person. This is especially true of so-called personal branding. We now regularly use terms such as, “That’s going to help (or hurt) their (a person’s)...
Consumer Brands are only as Good as Their Availability
OUT-OF -STOCKS CAN KILL GOOD BRANDS
With so much emphasis put on the logo, catchphrase, brand promise, brand story, and even matching corporate business cards, letterhead and envelopes, brand builders can forget the most important factor in any retail consumer brand’s success: staying in stock! Being out of stock is a killer...
A Brand’s Guarantee is a Bet on their Own Quality
THE EAGLE FLIES AT EAGLE CREEK
Guaranteeing your products is a powerful way to add value and credibility to your brand. When you guarantee your products, you send a message that your company stands behind them and that you will provide customer satisfaction at any cost. It also sends a message that...
7 Ways to Train your Customer Service Rep and Save Your Brand – Part 2
CUSTOMER SERVICE - WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD
Many companies spend thousands on surveys, focus groups, and marketing studies. They want to know what their customers think about their products. But they have a free channel to their customer everyday through their Customer Service Department. As far as brand building is concerned, we think...
7 Ways to Train your Customer Service Representative and Save Your Brand – Part 1
COMPLAINTS ARE GOLD - IF YOU KNOW HOW TO MINE THEM
[caption id="attachment_2161" align="alignleft" width="300"] Complaints are Gold[/caption] Customer service trumps marketing when it comes to brand building. Your brand’s reputation is on the line when unhappy customers contact you. In their minds, the way your customer service people treat them will be the real test of...
The 7 Essentials of Branding with Authenticity
THE REAL McCOY
Certain brands have woven authenticity into their products, delivery and message. These brands have a distinctive look and feel about them that says, “This is the original,” or “This is the genuine article.” Over time, they have carved out a place at the apex of their...
Build your Brand with Charity and Thoughtfulness
DOGS ARE DISASTER VICTIMS, TOO!
Rachel Ray, the CBS TV personality and Emmy-winning chef, has donated 4 tons of her Nutrish brand of wet and dry dog food to the canine victims of Hurricane Sandy. She believes she should give back in the same way as she makes a living. Everybody...
4 Pillars of Brand Promise
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAY; IT’S WHAT YOU DO – AND DON’T DO
A friend who is a Fortune 500 exec asked us recently, “What really makes a brand?” We knew he was an experienced and knowledgeable guy, and we owed him a thoughtful reply. What initially came to mind were all the elements that affect a brand: its...
Maximize Your Impressions with Strategically Chosen Logo Wear
WORN OFTEN OR WORN OUT - LOGO WEAR IS MORE THAN LAUNDRY
When we had Barefoot Wines, like many companies, we used logo products to get our name and image out there. These included T-shirts, tank tops, polo shirts, corkscrews and visors. We always chose the best quality, most long-lasting items we could find to put our logo...
When it Comes to Brand Development, Reputation Trumps all Else
FAMOUS TO INFAMOUS IS JUST ONE NEWS STORY AWAY
When the Exxon Valdez spilled crude oil into the pristine Prince William Sound in 1989, years of building their name recognition instantly worked against them. Their high profile brand was a household word and the incident became a daily topic of conversation. Even though Exxon took...
Product Branding – 5 Keys to Success
KNOW THE PLAYING FIELD – THEN SWING FOR THE FENCES
The results of successful product branding are all around us every day. Certain icon brands became synonymous with their products, like Kleenex with facial tissue, and Xerox with copying machines. Other brands imply high quality, such as Tiffany and Mercedes. Still, others bring to mind speed...
Branding Your Business is a Multi-faceted Challenge
THE BRANDING MESSAGE IS MUCH MORE THAN OWNERSHIP
The cowboys used branding in the old west to identify their cattle and horses. When particularly excellent beef was identified with a brand, the brand itself gained value. After a while, it was expected that beef under that brand was going to be excellent. The repetition...
Branding Services Abound – Know What You are Looking For
GET THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB
They say the folks who made the most money during the gold rush were selling shovels. The branding “gold rush” of today is no different. If this was written twenty years ago it would be called Marketing Services Abound. As we advance into the twenty-first century,...
A Great Brand Story is Engaging, Entertaining and Educational
A BRAND STORY – MAKE IT MEMORABLE, NOT A PITCH
Today people are looking for the story behind the brand. Where did it come from? How did its founder market it? And how did the public perceive it? Unlike a pitch about features and benefits, a brand story takes you to the often humble origins of...