Branding

November 23, 2016

Public Relations- What Role Does the Media Play in Your Business?

When you think of the term “public relations,” you probably only think of it as something you may need in the distant future when your small business has grown into a giant beast of a success story. In reality, if you want to see your business grow into something amazing even sooner, then it’s time to start thinking of PR and how it relates to your business today. Ask anyone in any business and they will tell you that publicity is more effective- and less costly- than advertising. It has a bigger impact on your target audience and actually sends a clear message to a larger number of people than a few Facebook advertisements. What’s more important is that publicity has the huge benefit of being more credible with the public. A story about your brand/ product/ service on the media has a bigger impact on your audience than a flyer...

A great story will stay with an audience for a long time to come.

November 17, 2016

in Branding, Storytelling

by Brandsoup

What Great Storytelling Means for Your Brand

We have all seen that one commercial on television that, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it still brings a tear to your eye, or makes you laugh, or even just puts a smile on your face. There’s a reason these commercials stay with us. It’s because they are telling a great story. It doesn’t matter if it’s told in one hour or one minute, a great story will stay with an audience for a long time to come. This is why storytelling has always played such an important role in branding. You’re not just spreading a message or putting an idea out there to your customers. You are sharing an emotion. When your message brings out emotion, then it will stay with the people you are trying to reach and perhaps they will go on to share that message with their own family and friends. What is your story? What...

October 20, 2016

in Branding

by Brandsoup

Marketing Beyond Words

There is an idea in marketing that is easy to get lost and often can fall through the cracks whenever we start to work on a new campaign and when we focus too much on the message and not enough on the story. It is the idea of reaching your target audience in a way that connects emotionally, authentically, and in a lasting way. Too often we are worried about getting the words just right, but is that perfectly crafted phrase hitting the mark and truly telling the story? They may forget what you said- but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. ~ Carl W. Buehner So much of the story is under the surface, if you share just the features and benefits, will your market remember? You told them the what and the how, but did you tell them the why? Every storyteller knows the importance of showing, conveying by...

October 5, 2016

in Branding

by Brandsoup

Why You Need a Strong Positioning Statement

If you had to condense the purpose of your business, product, or service into one single statement, could you do it? Could you do it in a way that packs a punch? Generating your own positioning statement is one of the most powerful ways to set your marketing on the right track. A strong positioning statement tells your target audience exactly what they need to know about who you are as a brand and filters out all the rest. This is the starting point for creating a marketing strategy that resonates through your entire company and out to the people you want to reach. So, what is a positioning statement? A positioning statement is a succinct description of your brand’s target audience combined with a persuasive description of how you want your brand to be seen by that audience. This statement is not for your target market. It is a honing...

September 29, 2016

in Branding

by Brandsoup

Make Sure Your Company Is Staying on Message

“Stay on message” is a term that we hear a lot, especially in the political arena. This concept is a simple one and can have a huge impact on the way you communicate on behalf of your company. It means to keep it simple and focused. Don’t let yourself wander off course or else you risk degrading the full impact of your message. Ensuring that your message is powerful and resonates with your target market is not the sole responsibility of your PR person. Staying on message is the responsibility of every person who plays a role in your company. When someone asks, “So, what do you do here?” everyone should be able to give a clear and consistent answer. This shows outsiders that you are truly a team who works together for a common goal. How do you take that authentic message and make sure that it is being conveyed clearly...

September 22, 2016

in Branding, Vision

by Brandsoup

Branding From Your Vision- Discovering the Why

Your brand is more than just a label. It is the heart of your business. It is what sets you apart from competitors and inspires customers to become loyal fans of your company. The vision that you have for the company is what helps to create your brand. When you are crafting the vision for your business, you are tapping into the desires you have for the future of your brand. This is what draws your potential customers in. You need to appeal to them with the Why. The vision statement that you created for your company helps people to see what it is that you want to achieve with your business: We want to bring affordable organic food to the convenience market … To really appeal to your target market, you need to tell them why that vision is an important part of what your brand means. … Because we believe that everyone...

September 6, 2016

in Branding

by Brandsoup

How Coca-Cola Turned Sponsorship into a Lasting Impression

Coca-Cola and the Olympics have a relationship that stretches all the way back to the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games. For 88 years, the brand has been a sponsor of the biggest display of athleticism in the world and that relationship has only gotten stronger over the years. Advertising and brand engagement have undergone major changes since the early days of the Olympic Games. Print and radio advertising plays a much more minor role these days. Now, social media platforms have become major players in the world of marketing. Social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat have worked together to make this year’s Games an incredibly social event. According to Senior Communications Manager Christy Amador, Coca-Cola is a brand that looks for their content to be liquid and linked, meaning they need to be flexible and connected across different channels. For this year’s Games, they landed on a campaign that ties...

August 26, 2016

in Branding, Storytelling

by Brandsoup

How Belief and a Well Told Story Can Empower a Brand

Why is it that Martin Luther King Jr.’s famously quoted statement, “I have a dream…” has remained firmly in the minds of so many people? It’s because he managed to make us feel his story, rather than simply know it. He didn’t choose to say, “I have an idea." That would've made it more distant and detached. Logic wasn’t needed in that moment. Emotion and beliefs were directly connected to his words. His audience could feel it; in fact we can still feel it today when we hear his words again and again. His passion was conveyed so powerfully that his words have never been forgotten. When you think about brand, it’s necessary to look beyond the imagined confines of business. That’s why it’s so important to examine someone like Dr. King, to work out what made his message so powerful. Why do we remember his words over 53 years later after he spoke...

August 17, 2016

in Branding, Storytelling

by Brandsoup

Use Storytelling to Take Customers on a Journey

In the last post, we talked about the importance of storytelling in your brand. Why is this such an important thing? How can you develop your story? Let's delve deeper into the subject. The Journey. Your goal with each client is to take them from point A to B. For example, a car salesman wants to connect with why a customer needs a new automobile (A), and take them on a journey that ends with them deciding that buying it from that dealership is their best option (B). The same thing applies to storytelling. It can't be a vague concept. Define its purpose. Develop the story as though you are scripting a movie or writing a novel. It's truly important to step outside the box that tells you to convince them with specs, prices, and logical details. Imagine different scenarios that your ideal customer would encounter. What emotions would they feel? What...

August 10, 2016

in Branding

by Brandsoup

How to Create an Emotional Connection with Your Brand

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, "All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own." This quote exemplifies the role that emotions will play in the branding of your company. Facts and figures can be understood by anyone. But to reach the heart of your customers requires finesse. As Goethe said, their hearts are their own. The brand you develop can't simply appeal to the practical side of your customer's thinking process. We feel emotions before our logic kicks in. There's a gut feeling we experience in the first few seconds of seeing or hearing about something. So, it's necessary to dwell on this when deciding what your brand represents. Look beyond the facts of your product or service. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. What feelings will it evoke? This message you convey needs to have a lasting impact. What will make it memorable to...

Public Relations- What Role Does the Media Play in Your Business?

What Great Storytelling Means for Your Brand

Marketing Beyond Words

Why You Need a Strong Positioning Statement

Make Sure Your Company Is Staying on Message

Branding From Your Vision- Discovering the Why

How Coca-Cola Turned Sponsorship into a Lasting Impression

How Belief and a Well Told Story Can Empower a Brand

Use Storytelling to Take Customers on a Journey

How to Create an Emotional Connection with Your Brand

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