Marketing Sparkler Ι

23Aug 2011 by Miss Kemya

Branding Tip: Create Your Gravatar!

What in the world is a gravatar?! A gravatar is an image that appears beside your name when you comment on blog posts, web forums, etc. It’s a custom avatar that follows you all around the web. Why should you care? Because those generic animated pics do not look professional! Your company and personal brand will appear far more polished when your pic appears with your username next to your post. Why is a gravatar important, as it relates to your brand? Your gravatar is a part of your brand identity. Just like your social media username, it will follow you all over the web. When you comment on articles/blog posts that have this feature enabled, your pic, or gravatar, will show up next to your comment. I don’t know about you, but…

19Aug 2011 by Miss Kemya

Lay the Groundwork to Define Your Brand

Branding, Marketing Strategy, Tips and Tools

Let’s define the word BRAND as it relates to your company. In a nutshell, a brand has to convince me to spend my money, time and effort with you and not your competitor. Think about iconic brands like Starbucks, Ferrari, ESPN, and Neiman Marcus. When you hear the names of these companies you immediately think of a host of attributes for each of them. Well, it’s their BRAND you’re thinking of! Now do you understand why your brand is so important, and why you need to manage your company’s brand? Good, we’re on the same page. Consider these criteria to start defining your brand: Company name: does it say anything / mean anything to your ideal client? Is it easy to remember? Hard to pronounce? Keep in mind, you can leverage…

17Aug 2011 by Miss Kemya

Social Media Usernames Count!

Branding, Strategy

One of the fantastic consequences of our socially connected world is that we can connect to people, clients and prospects around the world 24/7. But how does this relate to your brand, from a first impression perspective? Think about it: when you meet someone face-to-face, your first impression includes their clothes, neatness, appearance, handshake, etc. However, when meeting online, the dynamics of the first impression change. We meet people online by communicating across different platforms, and what’s one of the first, if not the first, things you become aware of when you meet a new person online? Their username, not their legal given name, but their profile username. Hence the reason why your social media username is critical as you define your brand! When choosing your social media username for each…

11Aug 2011 by Miss Kemya

Can You Define Your Brand?

Branding, Marketing Strategy

So you’ve been in business for a while. Can you give me a definition of your brand? For example, I’m a small biz marketing powerhouse who comes in, peels the surface layers back to reveal the true core of your biz, evaluates and, if necessary, overhauls your entire marketing strategy, immerses your biz across the appropriate social media platforms, syncs your day-to-day operations with your firm’s long term objectives, and re-energizes your passion and perception of your own business. I ask clients to describe my brand to me and this is pretty much a summary of what I’ve been told. Do I like the way I am perceived by my clients? Absolutely! Did I strategically develop my brand into this? Nope. I just do my work, like most of you…

04Aug 2011 by Miss Kemya

Brand Communication Is More Than Your Website

Branding

Branding is all about the communication of your image to the world, yes I said world! You’re familiar with the whole six-degrees-of-separation concept right? So, in effect, your presence is global, whether or not you realize it. How Is Branding Communicated? In a nutshell, your brand is communicated in every single action you take with regards to your business, whether it’s with a prospect, client, employee, partner, vendor, etc. Most business owners know a company’s brand is communicated by a business card, a website, and customer service. But let’s dig a bit deeper shall we? Your company's brand is also communicated by: the way you answer the phone your voice mail message on the phone how you greet a person (smile, handshake, hug, eye contact) verbiage used in all communication…

18Jun 2011 by Miss Kemya

You Are Your Brand, Own It!

Branding

I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic social media seminar, dubbed an Online Marketing & Social Media Crash Course, featuring none other than Entrepreneur Magazine expert Starr Hall. Now since I already know Starr I was prepared to be blown away by all her proven tips to navigate the online marketing environment. For those of you that don't her, let me tell you she is indeed a marketing machine! My friend and event attendee Author Brian L Thompson asked me a question after the event that really had me stumped. He asked me "What was THE most important thing I learned? And what am I going to do with it?" The nerve of him asking me such a loaded question right?! After giving some it some thought, I answered: I think the most…

Category: Branding