What do you sell? A service? A product? An idea? Whatever your market is, you have a brand that accompanies it and that is what you sell to potential customers. Branding is akin to namedropping, or an idea that people get when they hear about your product or service. When you say soft drinks, what do you think of? What about ketchup, detergent, books, or restaurants? What comes to mind immediately when you think of those things? If you thought about Heinz, Tide, The Bible or Red Robin, you’ve bought into (one) of the ideas of branding. In branding, you want customers to think of you, your product or service, and give them reasons to prompt them to call you for it. Hence, Your Brand Specialized.

The brand that you establish for your business has to possess a spark and delivery when marketing to customers. In other words, your brand has to match your delivery. If you promise and deliver top-notch service, you strengthen your brand, your business name and your business reputation. What is your business brand and how do you effectively deliver?

Avoid catchy phrases and don’t confuse slogans with branding. The two are opposite and are only forms of marketing that lead into branding. To form a solid branding connection, look at other successful businesses and mimic the thing that they do well. If it works for them, they’re on to something.

Check out these blogs for more information on branding:

Brandcurve by Susan Gunelius

Branding Blog

Brand Identity Guru

_______________________________________
Copyright 2008 – Bridget Wright

Post from: EveryJoe

Business Marketing Monday: Your Brand Specialized

Here is a cute article that I found written by a stay-at/work-at-home mom who “manipulated” her resume. What can you add to the list?

Wendy Surber
123 Hair Torn Out Ln.
Premature Gray, Ca. 43210
Phone: (805) IAM-INHELL

Objectives:
To get through at least one day without the uncontrollable urge to runaway from home! To improve communication gaps. Such as figuring out what part of “no” and “stop fighting” don’t the understand.

Employment/Experience Summary:

Current Employment
As of July 21, 1999
Stay at home mom of three beautiful little monsters!

December 12, 1996
Gave birth to a screaming cat!
Nursed every hour and a half
Used as projectile vomiting target after nursing sessions
Helped her find her thumb when Binky wouldn’t work

December 20, 1995
After 4.5 hours of pushing, got her big fat head out!
Functioned on only 4 hours of sleep
Multi tasking

Additional Experiences

Line cook
Maid
Chauffer
Referee
Toilet Trainer
Doctor
Appointment Setter
Outfit coordinator
Safety Captain
Crossing Guard
Nightly Lock-Down Warden
Activities Director
Kisser of Boo-Boos

Education

I have learned:
Showers on a daily basis are possible, when to aim an over nursed infant at the floor, eat after they go to bed, always make sure to have the snuggle blankets in the car. If not, then plan on turning the car around. The sound of a joint popping can and will wake a sleeping baby, no such thing as peeing alone, a bored child is a destructive child, children are drawn to puddles like gold diggers are to rich men with weak hearts!

Skills:
Can get all three to adjust to routine changes, know when a stormy fight is going to start (my knee starts acting up), bathe a baby, make dinner, and do the dishes all at the same time.

Personal interests:
Researching the nicest Looney bins to commit my fried and weary nerves.

Blog Link
________________________________________
Copyright 2008 – Bridget Wright

Post from: EveryJoe

How Many Jobs Do You Have?

The finger-popping tune from the 80s was Janet Jackson asking the question that often in business, we have to wonder too. As we conduct business day-to-day, we tend to do business with those that we know, those that have sent some business our way, those whose business models we like and mimic and even those business folks who we don’t quite like but have to admit that they have a killer-awesome thing going. Gathering or clustering together in groups in the business world is essentially known as networking, although you will see it interpeted in many different ways. But, when I’m doing business with someone, I want to know what it is that I can get out of the deal. Selfish? No, that’s just how business works.

Networking is a powerful tool, to say the least. If you’re in business of any kind, in any any industry YOU HAVE TO NETWORK! It’s the understood mechanics of doing business. If you don’t, who will know anything about you? Who will care?

I’ve made some pret-ty good connections both online and offline in my networking affairs. I would estimate about 30-40% of my business day involves networking of some sort, whether it’s in large ways (attending business luncheons, workshops, etc.) or in small ways (providing a link to my favorite blogger/blog post) or just saying “hi!” on twitter to my favorite tweeple.

I’ve had to be creative in the ways that I choose to network since I keep a non-traditional schedule and work in a non-traditional environment. However, there are some things that I find quite interesting in the area of networking that I think people often don’t realize. For instance:

In a networking environment, why do people insist on squinching at your name-tag in an effort to say/remember/repeat your name, only to see you again five minutes later, snapping their fingers going, “now what was your name again?” Hello? If you don’t do anything else, take the time to remember that person’s name, REALLY REMEMBER IT, so that you won’t be embarassed later, trying to repeat it.

Why is it that networking luncheons require you to network WHILE you are eating lunch? Isn’t that rude, to talk with your mouth full? Or, if you sit there and say nothing, people will think you don’t want to “network” and will wonder why you’re there. Go figure.

Why is it that everybody and their brother wants to connect with you on LinkedIn and have never, ever had a prior conversation with you before via email, blog comment, phone, nothing, nada. Why would I do that? I mean, say hello to me first, let’s establish some type of base before we get all cuddly and such. I know LinkedIn is networking, but Janet…can you help me?

And finally, and most aggravatingly, why is it that people think that I want to receive all of those “forward to 10 of your friends“, and “answer this email to win a laptop“, or my favorite, “if I get this back from you, we’re really friends.” Whatever.
(This one wasn’t really a networking issue, just one that aggravates the hair off of my neck!)

Take time to culture and form solid networking opportunities with those in your sphere of influence. People are smart and can see right through facades and fakery. Especially business women, right? We have the special ability to tell when a person is trying to get one over on us or just trying to flatter our skirts up. Either way, be real, be solid in networking. Quality over quantity is what I say. Find out about the person(s), ask questions, visit their site(s), patronize their establishment. In the end and eventually, good networking practices will pay off, leaving you with quality connections and solid opportunities. If you put time and effort in, you will get quality out. Good in, good out. Bad in, bad out. Really quite simple.

After all, it’s all about what you’ve done for me lately anyway.
Oooh, oooh, oooh yeah.

___________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2008 – Bridget Wright

Post from: EveryJoe

Business Marketing Monday: What Have You Done For Me Lately?

If you’re interested, you can pick the series up here and follow them, or start at the beginning and come forward to see where they are in the series. Either way, you will gain a ton of information and insight into the wonderful world of blogging.

I’ve been blogging now for about two years and have found it to be quite addicting. I love the interaction (especially the interaction) with the readers and the chance to project my own business opinion on topics of interest in the business world and community. I love it and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Well, almost anything.

I encourage you to follow Mary Emma’s and Yvonne’s blog postings on the blogging business. It’s easy to get started in and if you like hearing your own voice, you’re a shoe-in. Let me know how it goes for you!

_______________________________________________

Copyright 2008 – Bridget Wright

Post from: EveryJoe

Fri-Deas: The Blogging Business

I had heard that LinkedIn was good for business, good for networking, but had not directly experienced the effects of it. Unlike many of you perhaps “veteran” online marketers, I’ve only been actively online with my business for about two years. I’m still learning A LOT about social networking, HTML, etc. But a powerful tool like LinkedIn has proven to be invaluable. I mean, just imagine someone finding you via an online contact source and wanting to engage your services based solely on what they read. Cool.

LinkedIn is a powerful resource tool that the members can use to connect and stay abreast of marketplace trends, corporate news and changes and even find college classmates or former co-workers. A lot of us (bloggers) here at b5 are on LinkedIn and frequently help each other out by giving recommendations to each other. It has really been good for me, to say the least. The client and I are still in negotiations about the terms of the contract, but it does look promising and rewarding. I’ll keep you posted.

Sign up to try LinkedIn and see if it can work for you and your business. If nothing else, you’ll make new business contact friends, establish yourself and stay on top of the business world “happenings.” You will never know until you try.

Oh, by the way, my LinkedIn profile is: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetwright

What’s yours?

© Content by Bridget Wright – 2008

Post from: EveryJoe

Business Marketing Monday: Using LinkedIn for Networking