So we’ve identified what brand identity is in general, and how you can work to determine yours. Now let’s talk about how you promote what it is you do—and ensure that you do, in fact, develop and enjoy a strong and lasting brand identity.

There are several media opportunities to get your message out; however, the quickest, most comprehensive, and most cost-effective way to reach the largest number of people is through the Internet. What’s more, building an e-presence is easy and you can gauge results immediately. We’ll narrow the focus to a few key components that, done right, will ensure optimal visibility for your new brand identity.

• Company name and logo: When determining what to call your business, plan to develop standard color and fonts—and don’t forget a logo. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get a good one, either. Believe it or not, the Nike swoosh was designed by a part-time freelancer for $35! Just be sure it’s attractive, distinctive, and illustrates what you do. Also be sure that it translates well on the Web.
• Web site design: Don’t skimp here. Professional designs sell, and your Web site is no exception. If your Web site screams amateur, no one will take your products and services seriously. In fact, lots of research has gone into layout, readability, content, and functionality. If you can’t afford a professional site designer, check the Web for a designer who will work with you to set up a Web “shell” that you maintain.
• As we’ve mentioned in earlier posts, keep your Web information current and rotate it regularly. It’s one of the best ways to ensure plentiful search engine hits, and keeps interested consumers coming back. Stale Web content tells your readers, whether it’s true or not, that you’re suffering from an inactive business, inexperience, or poor focus.
• Consider sponsoring high-visibility or important clubs, events, organizations, and the like on your site. Search engines looking for that information stand a good chance of landing on your Web page if the information is current, refreshed often, and pertinent.
• Location, location, location: consider having a link, or an ad, on other credible, reputable Web sites that relate to your business and target audience, because this will promote your brand identity through association. Choose sites that already have an established trust relationship with their clientele—it will translate to you. Eventually your target audience will begin to recognize your name and logo, and you’re on your way to recognized brand identity.

In summary, brand identity is the recognizable core value of your business proposition. It’s who you are, what you offer, and how you satisfy your clients’ needs. Establishing a meaningful identity, and using it wisely and well through your own and related Web sites, is your ticket to successful brand identity awareness. Good luck and happy branding!

In the last article we defined the starting point as defining your business value proposition.  Basically, this proposition is the focus of your business, and the value you bring to your customers. Your brand identity reflects your value proposition, and ultimately identifies the reasons why consumers should do business with you instead of your competition.

So, how do you go about creating a brand identity? Start with these simple steps:

• Identify what it is that you do.
  Boil it down to a core function or two. For instance, do you sell a product that quenches thirst? Offer a service that will save clients time?
• Identify your target market.
  Research, and spend time learning and understanding, the demographics of your audience—their typical age range, gender, education, workplaces, lifestyles, geographic locations. Learn what their goals are, what motivates them, and what drives them to action. Identify the emotional and practical quotients that your product or services deliver, and center your business plan around them. If you don’t have the time to do the research, you can hire a firm to do so for you.
• Determine what makes your business better than your competition.
  Is it that your products and services are better? Are they higher quality? More focused? Are you and your staff better skilled, educated, or experienced?
• If the concept of brainstorming works for you, go for it at this point.
  If not, take a more linear approach and create a flow chart or other process document. Either way, start writing down the descriptions, concepts, feelings, and ideas that describe or represent who you are, what you do, what your products and services offer, and why they’re better/faster/shorter/more accurate, or whatever. Don’t limit yourself—put down everything that comes to mind.
• Once you’ve identified these key business descriptors, hone them to a few core concepts that best define you and your offerings.  They should be broad enough to cover your entire strategy, yet focused enough to make one or two specific points. From here, you can create a strategy that positions your advantages to their fullest in the marketplace.

Let’s take an example. You sell vegetable seeds. Your seeds are unique—they’re packaged in eco-friendly materials, are organic, and are harvested and sold by local artisans. That’s your value proposition. Since environmental stewardship and healthy, organic food are your primary marketing goals, you’ll want to develop a brand identity that conveys this to your audience. You might consider a name like Peas of Mind, and make sure your site content, logo, and design mirror it. Basically, your goal is to capture your value proposition through your brand identity. If you’ve done your research as well, you’ll be able to target the right audience and speak to them effectively.

Finally, when creating your brand identity, never lie, exaggerate, or promise anything you don’t intend to, or can’t, deliver. Once you establish a relationship by delivering on your promise with integrity, service, and value, you’ll have earned your clients’ trust and respect. Remember: be true to your audience, and they’ll be true to you.

In the next article, we’ll talk about the best media to use to get your brand identity working for you.

Brand identity—we all have a basic idea of what it is, and which companies and products have an identity that works. In this three-part blog series we’ll define what brand identity is, discuss how to determine your own brand identity distinction, and perhaps most importantly—how to promote it.

Let’s begin with a basic premise: every company needs to define their value proposition. Your value proposition explains your raison d’être, and lets people know why they need to hire you, buy your products, or use your services. Remember, though, it’s not just your reason for being that’s important, but how you are an important element in the success of your clients and customers. According to Joe Marconi, author of The Brand Marketing Book, “Ultimately, successful brand building involves identifying with the customer’s desires and giving what he or she wants as to value (price and quality) plus the characteristics of image being sought, aspired to, or accepted.”

So in a word, brand identity is the VALUE to the consumer, customer, or client. It’s your significant point, your offering, and your integral benefit to someone else. Simply, it’s how your business helps someone else’s business, life, garden, health, wellbeing, focus, bottom line, reputation…whatever your product or service intends. That’s why it’s so important to consider your brand identity, or your core value, as your pivotal point from which to create your Web site, design your logo, create your advertising campaigns, and deliver your products and services. It’s how you communicate to your audience that your business, expertise, focus, delivery, and so forth are their best option.

Consider Coca-Cola®—there’s hardly a person in this universe that doesn’t know that name, and equate it with the bubbly, caramel-colored “must-have” pop that revolutionized the soft drink industry. The popularity of Coke virtually spawned a cultural movement of soda drinkers that’s continued for over a century. Coca-Cola’s brand identity, in fact, has evolved to the brand pinnacle it enjoys today: a world-recognized name for the product and the company itself, as well as a representative icon for the values it touts—real, refreshing, American, cool, hip, “the wave,” and “it.” In short, Coca-Cola has wildly succeeded in its brand identity because it has positively met both its consumers’ desires (why I think I want it—it quenches my thirst and tastes good) and image needs (what it means to me—by drinking Coke I am cool, etc.).

So we see that brand identity is a successful mixture of human interest, psychology, financial analysis, value proposition, and pleasing presentation. In our next article, we’ll share with you a few tips on how to begin identifying and researching your own unique branding.

Web visitors and search engines are like your average diner—they prefer to visit sites that have fresh, new, rotating content (not offerings that are stale or scant), and sites with content that feeds their need for information. So, as proud Web site owners, we need to please our visitors. After all, the average reader, in conjunction with most Web search engines, are pretty smart. They look for the signs that a site is dynamic—and that is largely governed by how often your content is updated.

So let’s do it! Why? You’ll get more hits—and that means more visitors—and that translates to more business for you.

Whether you have a Web administrator, or you create and
maintain the site yourself, try out these tidbits of information. We think you’ll be surprised at the results.

• Break up or “chunk” long passages and pages into smaller sections, and update the information often
• Start a blog section, and add to it at least every other week—more often if possible
• Add news items that are relevant, and update them continually
• Post current articles, ensuring your site has substantial and  meaningful content—and be sure to refresh that content often
• If you don’t like to write, look into online reprint directories for articles
• Buy single or “packs” of written pieces called “private label rights” articles
• Hire a ghostwriter to write content for your Web site
• Change the images, banners, and front-page information by replacing them, or rotating them to another location or page

As you begin to create a dynamic, refreshing site, be sure to include current-event and local information—even helpful hints. For instance if your Web site is geared toward families, create your site “menu” accordingly. Post content or blog about cost-saving tips, safety standards, local family-friendly attractions, and/or holiday-appropriate information. Include a link to a pertinent article, hint at soon-to-be-posted updates, and talk about your new content subjects in any e-mail notices or newsletters you send.

Again, one of the golden rules of Web site best practices: Keep your content timely, ensure it’s dynamic by changing it often, and ensure it’s up-to-date. It’s a proven way to boost traffic to your site—and that, of course, is icing on the cake.

As a business owner, you need to be connected through powerful and targeted networking. It’s a vital and viable process for the business world. Not only does it help you keep in touch with members of your profession, it keeps the lines of communication open. In fact, networking puts all of us in touch with like-minded individuals and companies, as well as those who may benefit us—or from us—to supplement and augment what we do professionally.

We’re all familiar with the old networking protocol from “back in the day”. Done over a two-martini lunch or on the golf links, it started with a formal in-person introduction and was cemented with a handshake. It could take years to build a network of associates, partners and business liaisons. Today, thanks to the lightening-quick world of the Internet, you can build a focused, powerful network in a matter of days—thanks to social networking Web sites such as FaceBook and LinkedIn.

Originally created as a forum for Harvard students, FaceBook has exploded into a multi-generational hot spot for meeting and greeting. LinkedIn, primarily geared toward businesses networking and job searching, is used by corporations worldwide. Each site reaches thousands upon thousands of global users—by using similar widgets, blogging platforms, feeds, powerful matching opportunities, privacy options and other tools—to make networking fun and easy. Both offer more traditional (by referral) and “cold” (by matching you with potential connections) introduction options—and you can request recommendations from your trusted colleagues to further enhance your business presence.

It’s clear—Internet social networking sites have become a great way to meet, greet, and increase your visibility on the Web. So take a minute, set up a free account, and watch your social network community grow!

As always, iBec Creative recommends using all Internet networking sites judiciously.

When it comes to getting the word out, there are hundreds—if not thousands—of venues where you can place an ad, run a classified, post a job, or advertise your products and services. But how many of those venues can reach over tens of millions of people a month, in 550 cities throughout more than 50 countries—for free?

The answer: Craigslist. Started in 1995 as a hobby by Craig Newmark, Craigslist.org has grown to a virtual (no pun intended) Internet phenomenon. Boasting more than 9 billion page views per month, craigslist claims a standing of #8 worldwide in terms of English-language page views—and reports somewhere in the billions of dollars neighborhood when it comes to the amount of interpersonal commerce the site is responsible for. That’s a tremendous service, all things considered—making it very likely the most-used commerce site on the US Internet. If you like statistics, here are a few more to whet your curiosity.

Each month on craigslist.org:

• Sellers post more than 30 million new classified ads each month
• Employers add more than 2 million new job listings each month
• Users upload more than 10 million new images per month
• Discussion forum participants add more than 100 million postings in 100 topical forums

With a mere 25 employees working out of a Victorian house in San Francisco, craigslist keeps itself going by charging less-than-market rates for their job postings in only 10 major US cities (the rest of the postings are, of course, free). Basically it’s a service offered to individuals and businesses alike, for the taking. In fact, more and more local business owners are using craigslist as a great way to advertise open positions, search for and post products and services, stay abreast of community postings, and even network with like-minded individuals.

By most accounts, craigslist works because it’s homegrown and down to earth. What’s more, it gives people their own forum to use their own voice—in a community-style setting that fosters familiarity and a sense of security. And in case you still don’t believe it, I’ll say it again—it’s free!

YouTube. We’ve all heard of it. Teens and Tweens live by it. Even savvy corporate marketing folks have gotten into the game, posting advertorials and videos. So what the heck IS YouTube, anyway—and how can it help your business?

Consider that if a picture is worth a thousand words, how much would a streaming video be worth to your message? Recent pundits claim that half of all Web readers will tend to click on a video before reading text. That being said, your Web site video could begin garnering “hits” for you in a short amount of time, and like never before. At any rate, be sure to create a video that you’re comfortable with and that meets your prime objective:

• An “introduction” video showing your facility or your products and services
• An infomercial, highlighting a specific product or service through an interview or on-site demonstration
• A subject-matter video, where you discuss something that is important in your industry or to your potential customers
• A case study, showing how your product or service is being used and how it made the customer’s life or business easier/better/more visible/more lucrative

One example of how you can create a credible, meaningful, low-cost video is seen here in PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ discussion of “relevance”:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3xTp5hOync

So, once you’ve created your video content and posted it to YouTube, then what? And, for what gain? Well, for starters using an established, powerful tool such as YouTube vaults your visibility. Search engines such as Yahoo and Google rank YouTube postings higher than video postings on other Web sites. What’s more, YouTube’s internal search function is very similar to, albeit less complex than, the search function used by major search engines. And in this case, the less complex the better—because it means that you, as a video marketer, can easily control the YouTube search results through pertinent keywords in your tags and titles. So in the time it takes someone to type a search word and hit enter, your visibility is instantly increased.

Finally, many Internet marketers are just discovering the increased traffic—and subsequent sales—that can be gained through using YouTube. Purchased by Google in 2006, YouTube is the most popular of all the video sharing sites. By posting videos to YouTube that are relevant to your market, you’ll direct your viewership demographics to better represent the audience you need to target. From viewed-video comments to requests for additional video postings, the information and leads you generate from YouTube can be huge to your bottom line. So make it informative, make it funny, make it a documentary—it doesn’t matter as long as you make it memorable, and do it well.

All in all, if you’re looking for low-cost production and vast information dissemination, combined with fast and relevant feedback, posting to YouTube is the way to go. It can help you get your message out cost effectively and quickly, build a viable list of customers, and provide valuable feedback…all at your fingertips. So here’s to happy YouTubing!

If you’re a business owner, you probably need to reach your clients quickly, professionally, and succinctly. One of the most effective ways to do this is through a powerful, information-rich Web site. But what if designing and maintaining a Web site—complete in its required programming and markup language splendor—is not your forté?

For the average business owner, setting up and maintaining a Web site is stressful, time consuming, too technical—and, well, just plain intimidating. It requires marketing, copywriting, programming, usability, and graphics skills. So, if you’re a non-technical professional, what do you do?

Purchase a Web Content Management System. You’ll soon discover what businesses of all sizes and industries are discovering—that a Web content management solution is the easiest and most cost-effective way to go. And it’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

1.  Start by hiring a quality Web design firm. Your Web designer will work with you to set up a template that is customized to your business, and recommend a content management system that best fits your needs. The easy-to-use structure gives you the tools you need to administer your own site, and empowers even the most non-technical contributors in your organization.

2. Set up an administrator’s login name and password. Once that’s done, you’re free to maintain your site.  Typically administered through browser-based interfaces, you can upload images, change content, even restructure the layout with common functions such as automated templates and wizards (sometimes best left to your web designer depending on how technical you are!), built-in help, Web and layout upgrades, easily-editable content, scalable feature sets (also known as plug-ins), and workflow/document management (so you can post content, have it edited by someone else, ensure it’s final-approved, and decide when and how it’s lifecycle is handled.)

3.  Update often!  Why is this important? Search engines work best—and return better results—with Web sites that are frequently updated with fresh, current content.  Update your site as soon as you need to, with the content that’s right for you.  And just so you know, a content management Web process is primarily based on a content database and other necessary data components. In this way, your Web solution stores your specific content so it can be easily reused and shared throughout your Web site.

In short, if you need frequent Web site updates but don’t want to learn how to program it, a Web content management system is the perfect solution.

A quick and easy SEO tip that you can most likely do on your own: Renew your domain name for its maximum amount of time (usually 10 years). Search engines like to see that the site’s owner has long-term plans for the site. This is one of the many factors that contribute to solid SEO, but every little bit counts! If you did not register your domain name yourself, contact your web designer and they will point you in the right direction. 

Choosing the right domain name for your website is important. Here are three things to think about when choosing a domain name.

1. People remember “.com”  Whenever possible, register your domain name as a “.com.” If your domain is already taken, start brainstorming creative ways to keep the “.com” as part of your domain name- that’s what people are more likely to remember. 
2. Think Keywords! Google recognizes keywords in a domain name, so take advantage. This is a good place to start if you have just realized that your preferred “.com” is taken. If you are using your website to find a local customers, think about using a localized domain name. This is great for SEO. For example, your company is called Abby’s Doggy Daycare and you serve the greater Portland area. Think about purchasing a domain name that includes the location you serve and your service– for example, PortlandDogSitting.com or PortlandDogBoarding.com. This way your site will be more likely to appear on searches using the keyword terms.
3. Make it Memorable  Is your domain name hard to spell? Is it too long? Is there punctuation? Before you buy your domain, envision someone saying it on the radio, printed in an ad, (remember this will be your email address too!) and make sure that it is something simple, catchy and reflects your brand.