Small Business Branding

What are you nuts? We can’t do that!

Ed Roach — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:04:59 +0000

Or can we? In helping companies to position themselves, half of the challenge is inspiring them and the other half is encouraging them to embrace what may seem at first to be impossible. Much of what I do is listen to how your company works. What is it that your customers love about you? What [...]

Gawd Brand It!! Do As I Say Not As I Do!

Ed Roach — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:54:17 +0000

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 [...]

Is Your Brand Image Up To The Challenges To Come?

Ed Roach — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:14:28 +0000

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 [...]

How to Benefit From A Cohesive Brand Strategy

Ed Roach — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 22:36:56 +0000

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 [...]

So You Want To Build A Brand.

Ed Roach — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:39:47 +0000

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 [...]

Are You Holding You Back?

Ed Roach — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:11:15 +0000

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 [...]

You’ve Been Voluntold!

Ed Roach — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:10:54 +0000

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 [...]

Here’s What’s In A Great Marketing Tool Box…

Ed Roach — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:26:41 +0000

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 [...]

Great or Safe – You Can’t Be Both!

Ed Roach — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:14:13 +0000

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 Web Killed The Trojan Horse Brand

Ed Roach — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:46:01 +0000

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 [...]

7 Steps to Customer Service Success for Your Brand

Ken Chandler — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:42:09 +0000

If your business offers customer service, then you should know that treating your customers kindly and with respect makes all the difference in the world to your reputation and your bottom line. There is nothing worse than a dissatisfied customer talking badly about your business and the way they were treated by you—yes you because [...]

#1: Goals And How To Stick With Them All Year

Lynette Chandler — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:48:35 +0000

With the new year, our podcast is revived and have every intention of keeping it going through the year (and beyond). That’s the important thing isn’t it? Setting goals and wanting something for the new year is one thing. Taking action on it and keeping on doing it for the whole year is a whole [...]

Eighteen Months After My Big Rebrand

Kelly McCausey — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:40:24 +0000

It was more than a year and a half ago when I realized I needed to make a big change. After more than nine years in the ‘work at home mom’ niche, I had an empty nest and an increasingly awkward sense of self when I sat down to blog and podcast content for that [...]

Choosing The Right Color For Your Brand

Ed Roach — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:11:26 +0000

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 [...]

Email Marketing: Cultivating Know-Like-Trust

Ken Chandler — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:45:00 +0000

When people think of you and your brand you want them to do 3 things: Know Who You Are/What You Do Like Who You Are/What You Do Trust What You Say When it comes to your brand and email marketing, personalizing your emails, auto-responders & newsletters can help you accomplish all 3 things listed above. [...]

When Should A Company Re-Brand?!

Ed Roach — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:15:11 +0000

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 [...]

Small Business Branding Through Exceptional Customer Service

Ken Chandler — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:45:47 +0000

Value Your Customers If You Value Your Business Have you ever walked into a store excited about your latest purchase only to leave your much coveted purchase on the counter because of the [lack of] customer service? Remember how that made you feel? I’d venture to say that if you were happy & excited to [...]

It’s 2013 And I’ve Got Nothing!

Ed Roach — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:39:02 +0000

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 [...]

Inspirational Quotes to kick off 2013!

Ed Roach — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:51:47 +0000

The CUSBA Linkedin Group had these terrific quotes posted this morning. They were compiled by 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 [...]

Your Brand Is Spreading Rumours About You Again!

Ed Roach — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:23:11 +0000

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 [...]