tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23803178203111155282025-04-22T18:23:49.319-07:00Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.comBlogger413125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-75580876057265004252013-06-05T07:16:00.000-07:002013-06-05T07:16:23.825-07:00

Use traditional 3.5" X 2" business cards to promote new services, products, specials or whatever is new at your business. They would still have your contact information. Use them to drive business to your website or location. Treat them as promo cards with a personal circulation. A clever new way to celebrate your brand. When you go to a networking event in your community, you can take

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-12071424683813312192013-05-20T06:51:00.001-07:002013-05-20T06:51:15.034-07:00

That next telephone call or email could be the mother lode of opportunities. If you're anything like myself, you're fiercely proud of what you've accomplished to date. The relationships built over the years have not only delivered happy customers but rewarding business friends that have turned into advocates for you. Of course, if the mother lode is to fall into your lap, it would come

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-3546911462587068852013-05-12T15:08:00.000-07:002013-05-12T15:08:12.523-07:00

Branding can be daunting at the best of times. As small to medium size enterprises, budgets to address brand initiatives are just a fraction of what a Fortune 500 company may apply. If you're anything like myself, you're constantly educating yourself on ways to fine tune your brand. Books on the subject is a great way to discover nuggets of information that can be applied to your situation.

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-86102765369707551922013-04-30T05:56:00.000-07:002013-04-30T05:56:45.449-07:00

I came across an interesting article today that smacks the face of good branding. It speaks to authenticity. Colby Sambrotto, the founder of 'for sale by owner' recently sold his home through a real estate owner. He even paid full commission. What does that say about his authenticity? The negative press will certainly hurt the DIY market. Read the story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-26338777685641793912013-04-24T06:09:00.000-07:002013-04-24T06:15:29.727-07:00

Your brand image is the face of your brand. It is the first thing your target audience sees when first introduced to you. What do you suppose goes through their mind when they see your brand image? Are the colors and imagery resonating by correctly representing your brand values and personality? How about consistency, are you showing one message? At the first introduction everything is

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-6145865415474814122013-03-30T15:40:00.000-07:002013-03-30T15:40:25.538-07:00

An interesting brand strategy to me has always been putting the owner's persona front and center. Make them the face and voice of the brand. Everything we read today speaks to the relationships we build with customers. Make 'em smile when they see you coming. Volunteering for local charities. Networking. A good number of small business professionals I come into contact with invest a lot of

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-76699521908658903682013-03-27T07:53:00.000-07:002013-03-27T07:53:57.433-07:00

Google Shopping is a paid service. That offers an opportunity for many advertisers: more clicks, a lower cpc and better conversion rates. Advertisers are beginning to realize that the profitability of their Product Listing Ads depends on the quality of their product feed. What are the most profitable feed optimizations that will help advertisers maximize the RoI of their Product Listing Ad

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-73520217598986704642013-03-26T19:42:00.000-07:002013-03-26T19:42:22.243-07:00

Where does one start to build a brand? Do you just let nature dictate, or should you plant your own seeds and nurture it along? My answer has to be the latter. As I see brand as essentially your reputation, I often tell start-ups to determine what they'd like their brand to stand for and then to work to that end. I think that that's a little easier than to trip along unengaged with who you

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-13674483554626680102013-03-04T07:14:00.000-08:002013-03-04T07:14:49.507-08:00

Is your brand continually evolving? Are you always watching for tools and education to put more opportunity in your cross-hairs? Just last year I fine-tuned my website. I really thought the look and functionality was exactly what my brand reflected. In the year or more since that re-do I recognized that to update or improve the sight I really should have not completed it in html (which I did

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-22916209725436154152013-02-25T18:17:00.000-08:002013-02-25T18:17:17.981-08:00

If you're anything like myself - you do a great deal of local networking. At least two or three days a week, you might run into me at some event or another. Some are professional groups where my target customers lurk and others are general professional organizations local and national. In a few of these organizations I play a managerial role, (one I'm the president). As you may well

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-71864871618729828402013-02-19T17:20:00.005-08:002013-02-19T17:20:51.889-08:00

Great interview with yours truly on the "Talk To Derek" show produced locally. Check us out at:   Derek has begun what he hopes will be a well received business forum.

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-15000319878980677582013-02-16T07:32:00.003-08:002013-02-16T07:32:55.402-08:00

Your brand is anchored in what differentiates you. Without that differentiator, you have to fall back on image or (god forbid) price. A good number of small businesses think to raise the bar they have to changes their logo, update their image and refresh that website. I've sat through enough meetings with graphic designers who still push this antiquated notion. My background is in graphic

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-23216100447541837062013-01-24T17:15:00.003-08:002013-01-24T17:15:55.795-08:00

I've seen several cases lately where graphic designers will gather opinions on Facebook regarding logos they're designing. I can't help but think that reflects badly on their brand. The client is retaining them based on their professionalism in the field. I feel letting Facebook friends chose their best says plainly that these designers don't have the confidence to know what is the best

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-68473697102570669892013-01-16T11:28:00.000-08:002013-01-16T11:28:00.936-08:00

Before the web was a dominant influencer to a brand, a company could essentially hide behind their brand. How their advertising portrayed them was all the contact the public had with the companies they bought from. With this in mind a company could say one thing on the surface and do an entirely different thing behind the scenes. The tobacco industry is a good example. In the public eye, the

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-51381118048141571442013-01-12T16:08:00.001-08:002013-01-12T16:15:43.253-08:00

Nothing is more striking visually in a brand than its colour palette. It can move people, calm people and agitate them. Colour has meaning and can be historically relevant. An example of what I mean by this is - let's say you have an antique store or modern store for that matter that sells 1950's era goods that are original or retro. You would be wise to use the pastel colour palette from

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-14531631396364191502013-01-07T18:17:00.000-08:002013-01-07T18:17:07.753-08:00

There are many good reasons why a company might want to re-brand. Entrepreneurs by their nature see the benefits in upping their game. Constantly raising the bar within their category keeps the competition on edge. They spend more time keeping up or as I like to say. "following, not leading." A common mistake you'll see all around you is companies who think re-branding is changing their

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-4819368503258026382013-01-02T07:40:00.003-08:002013-01-02T07:40:46.462-08:00

I'm sitting here trying to be profound  and write something great about the coming year's branding efforts. I've got nothing. Not to say I'm pessimistic about the coming year, but I'm drawing a blank about what to write about. Since I've started blogging (2006) I have written several hundred articles on branding. Now, during the first week of a fresh new year I can't think of a single

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-86567039350808639322012-12-31T07:49:00.000-08:002012-12-31T07:49:11.326-08:00

The CUSBA Linkedin Group had these terrific quotes posted this morning. They were compiled by http://mycomeup.com/ I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. # 1 - IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad“Only those who are asleep make no mistakes.”# 2 - Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway“Rule no. 1: Never lose money. Rule no. 2: Never forget rule No. 1.”# 3 - Steven Jobs, Apple Co-Founder“You

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-91614720467340768282012-12-03T07:25:00.001-08:002012-12-03T07:25:40.169-08:00

What's your brand saying about you? It's all over the street - nobody really knows what you do there at ABC Co. It's not like your customers or potential customers are spreading bad news about you, it's more the fact that they're not saying anything at all. There is no buzz. Everybody knows you but for some reason that's not translating into tangible business. You appear to be doing

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-11418488036692541872012-11-17T14:07:00.000-08:002012-11-17T14:07:49.183-08:00

If you been following some of the posts here, you would have noticed that I have been promoting my new book, "101 Branding Tips." (Shameless plug) What you may not know is that I, under no circumstances actually believe that I will become the next business best seller. My motivation for the book was to expand my audience. It was to bring to the attention of a wider market, my opinion. In

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-42218045994070642852012-11-13T07:43:00.000-08:002012-11-13T07:43:52.286-08:00

This week only I'm giving away the Kindle version of my new book, "101 Branding Tips." This offer has no strings attached. What I would love is that you return to the Kindle bookstore and leave a review. Don't hesitate go here: http://www.amazon.com/101-Branding-Tips-ebook/dp/B00A529UMC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352735074&sr=1-1&keywords=101+branding+tips My goal

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-6101005244431200532012-11-13T07:34:00.002-08:002012-11-13T07:34:27.564-08:00

I had a great experience being interviewed with Ty and Patrick last week. Listen here: http://www.lendio.com/blog/colors-logobusiness-fuel-podcast-11/

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-16736842071154684192012-11-05T13:00:00.001-08:002012-11-05T13:00:09.363-08:00

Having written my very first book, "101 Branding Tips" I've learned quite a bit about pushing it to my audience. I've done a few book signings, presentations and PR and now I'm waiting for Amazon Kindle's all clear to add it to the Amazon bookstore. During the first 5 days of my Kindle launch I'll be offering my book for free. That's right Free. No strings attached, just go to Amazon and

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-80908665384091708012012-10-28T16:07:00.000-07:002012-10-28T16:07:19.042-07:00

ONE: Frankly it takes a lot of work to stay on top of my brand.  If only I could just push a button like the Staples "Easy Button" ( which I have on my desk). I hate that I can't! TWO: I hate having to remind businesses that their brand is more than their logo. I have every design shop and ad specialty shop to blame for the mis-information I guess. (I could be painting with big a brush

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380317820311115528.post-50121336735474756742012-10-25T19:34:00.000-07:002012-10-25T19:34:19.875-07:00

Share this with any friends who are in business.I have a 101 Branding Tips book signing TOMORROW - FRIDAY (Oct 26) University of Windsor Small Business Centre opening. The Centre is giving away a free book every half hour. This is the UofW's new engineering building. The Centre is giving away a free book every half hour.Date &Time:Friday, October 26, 20122:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.Agenda:2:00

Ed Roachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01172063686678167833noreply@blogger.com0