Branding

Source locally

Source Locally-Give Globally

For decades, companies were looking outward, focused on becoming a global corporation. The result has been a lot of outsourcing with regards to suppliers, manufacturing, customer service, and sales. Now, the trend is emerging to start turning to local communities in order to source locally. Could this be the beginning of a return to American self-reliance?   For years, American businesses have relied too heavily on resources from other countries in order to create and distribute their products. This has taken a toll on the workforce here at home. Now, there is an upsurge, albeit a small one, in looking for local suppliers and vendors to partner with these global corporations to help support communities and workers in the United States.   One of the biggest factors that has sent big businesses looking elsewhere for their needs is cost. By using materials and workforce in other countries, they are saving themselves a lot of...

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Saving Sears: The Wrapping on the Package Matters

Saving Sears: The Wrapping on the Package Matters

We always hear the phrase, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” But if we’re going to be 100% honest, what we see on the outside matters too. Just think about receiving a gift. If you see that the person took time to neatly wrap it up in pretty paper and top it off with a matching, flouncy bow, doesn’t that make you feel great, and excited to open it up? But what if that present was just handed to you in the same plastic sack from the store in was bought in? Then the anticipation fizzles out a bit, right?   The truth is that we all determine an item’s value almost immediately once we see the packaging of it. This same concept is applied to product packaging as well as the exterior design of retail stores. If the outside of the store looks questionable, how likely are you to step...

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Saving Sears: Reviving an American Brand

Saving Sears: Reviving an American Brand

The Sears brand has been a staple for the American consumer since it introduced catalog shopping in 1888. It rose in success for over a century but began to wane with the introduction of retailers like Walmart. In an effort to stay afloat, the former giant has begun selling off the brands that have given Sears a sturdy foundation. From 2010, Sears has gone from over 3,500 stores to less than 700, and looks to close more locations in the near future.   Is it possible to revive a brand that has reached its 131st birthday and has seen year after year of declining sales? The answer is yes, but it’s going to take a lot of work, a lot of changes, and a lot of radical thinking from the company’s leaders.   Several companies have managed to pull themselves back from the brink, taking their names off of the endangered species list. Some...

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Creative twist on a marketing budget

Struggling to Create an Effective Marketing Plan on a Small Budget?

 Get an Original Twist with Creative Development If there is one area where small businesses seem to struggle most, it is marketing. It is hard to believe that you can make a big statement when you have a limited budget. But with a little creativity, you can create an effective plan that will get you the most out of your marketing efforts without a huge financial investment.   First, you need to remember that it is going to take time. No one becomes a sensation overnight. It takes a lot of patience and creativity to come up with a marketing plan that will make a huge impact and then you will grow out from there. You don’t want to be a flash in the pan, where you make one grand advertisement that brings in new business for a week or two and then disappears once your message fades away. You need to be...

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Clueless About Creating a Positioning Statement? 7 Questions You Need to Answer to Get It Right

Clueless About Creating a Positioning Statement? 7 Questions You Need to Answer to Get It Right

Your first question might be, “What makes a good positioning statement?” A good positioning statement is one that tells your customer how your service, product or brand is going to meet their specific needs better than the competition. It does not just say, “Here is my product. Buy it!” Instead, a good positioning statement gives your target customer an idea of how your product is going to take care of their problem and why they need to get it from you instead of your competitors.   Brands need to put a lot of effort into crafting the right positioning statement for their company because moving forward it helps to inform all of your communications, both internally as well as marketing to your customers. It clarifies the question of why your customers should want to buy from you plus why you do what you do.   Knowing that you need to create one of these...

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Ready to Launch Your Product? Get Your Go-to-Market Strategy Ready

Ready to Launch Your Product? Get Your Go-to-Market Strategy Ready

With so much planning that goes into setting your business up for success, it can be easy to overlook one important step: preparing your go-to-market strategy. You might be wondering, “Isn’t that the same as a marketing strategy?” Not quite. Your marketing strategy applies to all of the marketing activities that apply to your business. Your go-to-market strategy is for planning for a new product or service that you are launching.   The go-to-market plan focuses heavily on your consumer. The ultimate goal is to improve customer experience while delivering your value proposition to them. This plan helps you identify the target customer for that specific product, allowing you to hone your efforts so that they are more effective. If you have an existing product that needs some new life, you can develop a go-to-market strategy to help drive sales there also.   How does a go-to-market strategy benefit my business?   There are several ways...

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Do You Really Know Your Customer? What You Need to Know Before Preparing Your Annual Plan

Do You Really Know Your Customer? What You Need to Know Before Preparing Your Annual Plan

It’s the start of a new year which means it’s time to start putting together your annual plan for your business. But before you can do that, there is one important question you need to ask: How well do I know my customer? If you only have a vague answer to this question, it’s time to stop and get a clear picture of who your customer is so that you can better create a plan that focuses on how you can best serve your customer.   Without a clear customer profile, your marketing efforts are going to fall short of the mark. That means you are missing out on the chance to create strong, long-lasting relationships with your customers. Knowing your customers really well gives you the opportunity to engage more and build a bond that lasts long after your initial transaction is complete.   Want to start discovering more about your customers so...

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Start the New Year with New Goals and a Clear Direction

Start the New Year with New Goals and a Clear Direction

The beginning of the New Year is the perfect time to assess the direction of your business and set new goals to accomplish. Maybe you have already accomplished the tasks that you set for yourself this past year and are ready to tackle new ones. Or maybe the goals that you set didn’t seem to have a part in growing your business after all and you need to reassess what direction your business is going. Whatever the case is now is the time to sit down and evaluate your business and start putting together a list of goals you want to accomplish.   Before you start setting new goals, you need to take a good long look at where your business is today. Ask yourself if you are still heading in the same direction as when you first started out on your entrepreneurial venture. Did you stay the course or did it...

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The Importance of Employee Engagement

The Importance of Employee Engagement

Companies are really starting to realize the value of their most important assets: the employees. More and more we see companies that are focusing a lot of attention on employee engagement and internal communications. Employees who are invested in their company are brand ambassadors. They work hard to create not just a positive culture inside the company but to show your customers just what an amazing company you have. For this reason, you should always do more to encourage open internal communication with all levels of your team and promote employee engagement from top to bottom. Treat each employee like the valuable stakeholders they are and you will be pleased with the results!   When you have a high level of employee engagement in your business, here are some of the positive results you can expect to see:   Engaged employees are:   More productive   Engaged employees feel a deeper connection with their company and are willing...

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Discovering Your Company’s “True North”

Discovering Your Company’s “True North”

As entrepreneurs, we sometimes lose sight of our purpose and direction as we become more embedded in the daily tasks of keeping our business going. The danger in this is that we can easily get off course and start to wander in directions that do nothing to move our company forward. For this reason, we should stop and take time to discover our “true north.”   The true north of your business is the absolute heart of what you do. It is the purpose and reason behind why you started the company in the first place. Sit down and think back to when that first inkling of a business idea popped into your mind. What did you want to accomplish with this business? Once you have that in mind, picture your business as it is today. Do you see and feel those core values shining through? Are you still heading in the...

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