Branded For Success

Let me answer that question by having you ponder another question. How much does good design influence you when you buy something? When you go grocery shopping, does the design of the packaging affect which food products you buy? How does the look of a car on the outside and inside change how you feel about purchasing the car? During your house-hunting, does the look and layout of the house influence whether you want to buy it?The reality is that design plays a crucial role in consumers purchasing products. If you have not been taking notice how good design affects how you buy stuff, start taking note of it. (more…)

I ran across this at a corporate branding site. What a great way to breakdown how branding is used within a company. This is not for the beginner or the branding-faint-of-heart. For the small business and entrepreneur, who are my target market, you may not implement every branding element this illustration shows. At the same time, though, it can help you discover parts of your brand that you may be missing and help you set goals as you develop your brand. Check it out by clicking the image below.

Built by Kolbrener, a branding company

It is a sign of healthy brand implementation when a company actually lives out their brand. What use is a brand if you don’t maintain it through your company actions or if you don’t publicly implement it in your community? When you have a brand set, implementing it in how your company operates, how you engage clients, and how you gain exposure in the community will determine its effectiveness.

I pass a State Farm Insurance agent’s office every day as I take my kids to school. State Farm’s tag line is, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” What caught my attention about this particular agent was her roadside marquee. For the nine months that I drove by her office last year, I can only remember once when her message was about her actual product and a special she was offering. Every other time, she has used her marquee to show her involvement as a citizen of her community.

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I am always interested in discovering how businesses maintain the brand they have worked so hard to establish. Often when I am out, I will stir up conversations with the people who are ‘just doing their job’ by assisting me. Whether I am in a department store like Wal-Mart, or at a restaurant having a meal, there is always an opportunity to watch, listen and learn how a company’s brand is being portrayed by the way their employees fulfill or fail to fulfill the company’s brand promises.

Just the other day, I went to our local Cracker Barrel with my family for dinner. The assistant manager was an old acquaintance. He stopped by our table to say hi and catch up a bit. Heather and I were able to share what was happening with our family and with Branded For Success. He wanted to know more about the company and how we help small businesses and entrepreneurs become properly branded. As we talked, I could see in his reaction that he knew the importance of having a brand and maintaining its integrity.

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