Download How to Look BIG:

How to Look BIG:
Growing your Brand’s Image Online
and in the Public’s Eye
Colin Chase
• Currently an Innovative Marketing Consultant
with Chase-It Marketing
• Previously: Director of eCommerce, Director
of Marketing, Multimedia Software
Developer, Network Administrator
• 17 year career spanning IT, Software
Development, Marketing, & Ecommerce
How to Look BIG:
Know your brand &
Know your target audience
Know Your Brand & Audience
• Through Knowledge and Experience
“Knowledge is only half the battle, but
Experience wins the war.”
• You may require in depth market research from a good
marketing firm, or maybe you can find enough information
on your own.
• Don’t just Know, but Experience your product & target
market. Immerse yourself in several ways into the
comprehensive whole of your product, website, & market.
• Use Social Media, Surveys, Secret Shoppers. Ask your
vendors, employees, and customers for their input as well.
Whatever mechanism provides you with a clear picture.
How to Look BIG:
Aesthetics and Content
Aesthetics & Content
• The key Aspect that WILL differentiate your
Brand & Website from among your
competitors and make your Brand memorable
is first your APPEARANCE & GRAPHICS, and
second is your Website’s CONTENT.
•
• Don’t fret, but also don’t go cheap.
•
• This includes:
The Brand’s logo, website design and usability,
single-purpose landing pages, imagery, layout,
printed materials, even your email signature.
• Also is your Content worth reading?
\
How to Look BIG:
Remember the Goal of
Marketing
Marketing Creates Demand
• The Internet has not change
Marketing’s core goal. The Internet
has indeed changed HOW
marketing gets done, but it has not
changed WHAT marketing does.
(Though now we focus more on the Web.)
•
• Marketing simply Creates Demand.
How to Look BIG:
Brand Marketing
Branding
• Brand Marketing is essential for Brand
Recognition, and without it you’re in trouble.
• Many Brand Marketing activities can generate
income and loyal life-long customers, because
they function for dual purposes.
• Activities including:
Press Releases & Announcements, MultiChannel marketing, Banner & Text Ads, Social
Media Marketing, Content (Article) Marketing,
Cross Promotions, Sweepstakes & Contests
All Marketing is Branding
• Whether you’re a B2B or a B2C,
whether you’re selling a service or a
commodity, whether you’re products
are your own Brand or you’re just a
part of the distribution channel.
It doesn’t make a difference!
•
• All Marketing should be Brand
Marketing.
How to Look BIG:
Partner with Others,
The BIGGER the BETTER
Why Partner
“9 times out of 10 it is apparent that a website
simply needs more Traffic, so long as the
conversions remain acceptable.”
You need to attract an interested audience
while concurrently building demand
in that audience for your Brand.
Why Partner
“What Does a larger Brand have in their
possession that your Brand does not?”
• Brand Recognition
• And, Lots of Customers
How to Partner
• Devise reasons for publicity, whether a contest or
a sweepstakes or a product Give-Away or a
unique product attribute or a new “thing” you’re
launching. Leverage your angle and use it!
• Create and publish Press Releases frequently. Get
your Brand’s name out there, as half the battle
truly is just getting noticed.
• Devise a publicly positive angle and exploit it for
the betterment of your Brand. This is your theme.
• Look for partnering opportunities or contact
potential partners on your own.
•
How to Look BIG:
Examples
Press Releases & News Story
• The proof is in the pudding.
•
• Note: When I publish a Press Release I envision
only the SEO aspects as the long-lasting effect.
• In December 2009 I created a Press Release
regarding Backyard Hockey Rinks. Three weeks
later the NY Times called, and a few weeks after
that a story ran in the NY Times about Backyard
Hockey Rinks and the Brand I worked for was
highlighted (story ran 2/10/10).
Press Releases & News Story
Press Releases & Sweepstakes
• The proof is in the pudding.
• Again, when you create a Press Release envision
only the SEO aspects as the long-lasting effect.
• In Nov & Dec 2010 I published Press Releases
regarding the new BrothersAllNatural.com
website and then a new product. A few weeks
later a marketing firm connected to Warner
Brothers Home Video called and within a few
months (March 2011) the Brand’s first movie
sweepstakes was launched.
•
• This has snowballed into much, much more.
Press Releases & Sweepstakes
Partnering with Large Brands
• The really Large Brands that are true household
names have many assets - such as millions of
customers and national trust. Their logos are just
like Trust Symbols on a website.
• Large Brands need to get something out of the
promotion such as concerted promotional
activities from your Brand. Activities like
sweepstakes, mentions on your site, mentions in
your weekly email, Press Releases, etc.
• However, as subsequent efforts become more
successful, then your Brand often ends up
getting much more out of the promotion.
•
Partnering with Large Brands
Disney and Walmart! How much better can it get?!?
B2Bs and a Niche Market
• Business-to-Business (B2B) companies are often
working within a smaller niche market as
opposed to working within a large and hugely
vast market such as the Consumer market.
•
• The problem with niche markets is that the
competition, which is also serving that niche
market, is often quite similar at face value.
Thus the key is to differentiate in a
memorable manner from the competition.
• But how? Where to begin?
B2Bs
The basics of good marketing were included
Success
was achieved:
and
a
Niche
Market
on
thisSegments
interactive
Video
(2CD-ROM:
to 4 min) were included:
• We provided entertaining and
• Content
included
Documents
and Video
Highlighting
specific
aspects
informative content
• Past
Projects
(ventures)
Video
segments
were
detailedand the
• The sections on the
CD-ROM
• What
they
Offer then
(capabilities
) articles
Video
segments
linked
to
content differentiated the company
• Award-winning
Projects
(engineered
via
Keywords
that
appeared
during
the
(Weber Knapp)
solutions)
video’sincluded
dialog “active” Keywords taken
• Video
• Etcetera
Articles
had
more
detailed
information
from the script, which were clickable to
• CD-ROM
was
easythe
to use
as aand
handout
Keywords
paused
Video
open up more detailed information
at
TradeaShows
asa well
as topage
be
opened
PDF
to
specific
• Thus, CD-ROM itself differentiated
included
inwas
mailers
• When
PDF
closed,
the
video
would
company
• The
“wow”
factor,
theoff
intrigue of “what
resume
where
it
left
Kudos – This Marketing Project won an
is this?”, made the CD-ROM engaging
Award for innovation
and interesting
How to Look BIG:
Social Media is a MUST
Social Media
• How do you know what your Target Audience is
thinking? How do you “connect” with them?
• Do you use Surveys? Questionnaires?
• Or do you get Social?
“The majority of Internet ‘connected’ Americans
are using Social Media every single day.
Every day!”
Social Media
“Social Media allows you to reach out, while also
appearing approachable and engaged.”
• Social Media, such as Facebook, is a must. You
have to reach people where they are, and this is
where they are. This is how you “hear” your
audience and connect directly with them.
• Remember to use whatever leverage you have.
Target your best, most profitable demographic
(such as “moms with toddlers” in the case of the
examples I have provided) and WIN some
“Brand warriors” for your company and Brand.
Social Media
Potential Concepts / Ideas to Get Social:
• Post something every day if possible.
Plan for this ahead of time is able, use Google Alerts to be
notified of specific topics that provide for timely items to
post, use systems that automate posting if necessary (but
make sure to comment on all remarks made – stay engaged).
•
•
•
•
Post images (photographs, product imagery).
Create contests for Facebook.
Create Cross Promo’s with other Brands on FB.
Make reasons to visit your website or to join a
mailing list (weekly newsletter email).
How to Look BIG:
The REASONS
Press Releases
• It all begins with a Press Release.
• Worse case scenario - If all you get is a bunch of
invaluable backlinks for your SEO, then you still
win big. This is pretty much a guarantee, so long
as you get the SEO enhancements.
• Additionally, other Brands and external markets
learn about your Brand and company.
• Best case scenario – If a news agency picks up
the Press Release and does a story, then all the
better. This cannot be guaranteed though.
Sweepstakes or Contests
• A great method for increasing Brand Recognition.
• Worse case scenario - If all you get is dozens of
new subscribers to your Weekly Email Newsletter,
then it was worth it. Dozens of subscribers should
equate to dozens of orders over a duration of
time – still an acceptable ROI by any measure.
• Additionally, even more Brands and external
markets learn about your Brand and company.
• Best case scenario – Your brand gleans hundreds
or thousands of new Customers. Plus maybe a
large Brand involves themselves more concertedly
in a cross promotion with your Brand.
•
•
Advertising – Banners and PPC
• Another great method for increasing Brand
Recognition, while obviously trying to garner
conversions. One feeds off the other.
• Worse case scenario - If all you get is thousands in
your target market to “see” your Brand (in text or
banners), then you still gain Brand Recognition.
• Most banner ad networks offer re-targeting, to
“follow” an interested person around the
Internet, which makes your ads more effective.
• Best case scenario – You garner dozens, hundreds,
even thousands of conversions from your Ads.
•
•
How to Look BIG!
To Contact Colin please visit:
www.Colin-Chase.com
Or by Phone: 585-802-4573
Or by Email:
[email protected]