Creating Powerful Brand Experiences – BrandByte #8

 

Brand Byte #17 – The Power of Brand Consistency!

 

Was just wondering…

 

A mere 5% increase in your customer retention translate anywhere between 25%-100% increase in your bottom-line.

 What can you do to take advantage of this statistic?

• Identify why your best customers come back (with a casual one-on-one survey question), then create a ‘loyalty campaign’ and referral reward program leveraging your brand’s key loyalty attributes. Define what exactly your reward/incentive would be (relevant to your brand style of course)  and have fun issuing those rewards to customers who refer others!

Share with us your most successful referral reward program!

 

WHAT’S THE ‘DIFF?’

Creating competitive advantage through a Values-led vs. Goals-led approach!                                           
By Suzanne Tulien, Principal and co-Founder of The Brand Ascension Group

This article was spawned once again from an experience that jarred me to thinking about the power of brand differentiators and how so many small business owners have an enormous opportunity to leverage and capitalize on them….but just don’t.  For one reason or another, the same old issue creeps into many small business offices, retail space, mind sets, and employees; “I don’t have time to work ON my business brand, because I am too busy working IN it!”  I am writing to our valued audiences and shouting from a mountain top “You cannot AFFORD NOT to work ON your business brand!”

Phew! Now that felt better! I hope you were able to hear my authenticity, passion, and urgent tone in that message from all these miles away!  This article is going to be short and sweet with some key examples of our client, and non-client differentiators with points about how they are creating their competitive advantage with a little bit of consciousness around consistent distinction.

I recently heard an interview with Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, and one amazing concept bounced right out of the CD and hit me across the face while I was driving in my car. I had to hit the back-track button and hear it again as its power began to sink in. He says,

“You cannot effectively solve problems you continuously BEHAVE yourself into.”

Read that again. Is it me, or is this not a truly profound way of thinking about changing behaviors to reach your next level of success? Now is the time to begin consciously realizing what you are doing day to day to innovate, strategize, and move your business to the next level as CEO of your company – that is YOUR job.

One of those ways is what this article is about; digging deep to uncover and leverage your true brand differentiators! Some of you on our e-newsletter list have gone through our Brand DNA program which features an entire area on this activity. It is often transformational to the business in that the outputs create a paradigm shift in how the business sees itself and begins to operate. But again, as always the true test in the power of this activity is ACTIONING it consistently.

The other day I was thumbing through the latest Oprah magazine and spotted a rare, but highly on-point ad from Starbucks that read: 

“IF YOUR COFFEE ISN’T PERFECT, WE’LL MAKE IT OVER. IF IT’S STILL NOT PERFECT, YOU MUST NOT BE IN A STARBUCKS….It’s not just coffee, it’s STARBUCKS.”

Now, these just aren’t words on paper, they live and breathe this differentiator, so much so, that they train their ‘partners’ (employees) to ask patrons consistently if the product is perfect. Do you see how this exposes Starbucks to be vulnerable? They are literally asking for a judgment by the client right there and then – but the mere action of this creates a unique, yet humbling perception of the brand in the client’s mind.

This differentiator evolved out of a value attribute they call ‘Legendary Service.’ Starbucks knows they aren’t perfect 100% of the time, but has created a process to ensure the client can express an opinion that gives Starbucks the opportunity to ALWAYS be perfect in their minds! See how this works? Ingenious!

One of our Brand DNA graduate clients uncovered some powerful internally focused differentiators that were never before brought to the forefront of their brand. One of those differentiators discovered was employee tenure:  over 50% of their employees have been there for 6 years, and 20% of their employees have been with the company  for over 10 years! This is unique in their industry and a big plus for the clients doing business with them, adding a perception of stability and continuity in customer relationships, which this brand prides itself in. Another differentiator related to their employees is that they PAY 100% of employee healthcare benefits! That differentiator is becoming rarer in this economy, but a huge nugget to leverage themselves when it comes to hiring great talent, particularly with the rising costs of healthcare!

On the external side – through a discovery process, their team realized that their products were in every pc and cell phone on the planet! Wow! What a great marketing message to leverage in their advertising, web site, and sales team! Secondly, they’ve dissected the numbers tracked on their current clients and realized they have a 90+% retention rate; another key differentiator creating competitive advantage. These days that kind of customer loyalty is unheard of. These are just a few examples to illustrate a level of consciousness that occurs when you begin focusing efforts working ON your business versus IN it.

A web site based Brand DNA graduate client knew that its complex data delivery was powerful, but never really thought about detailing out the uniqueness in its characteristics to expose their visitors to the benefits, the true W.I.I.F.M. (‘What’s in it for me’). Now, without revealing any trade secrets about their proprietary database model, they were able to tout key benefits highlighting the characteristics to the site visitor and re-affirming the unique value of the brand.

If you had this company’s completed Brand DNA blueprint (or any of the other examples), you would clearly see that the above differentiator evolved from their Value (Community, Balance, Integrity) and Style (Collaborative, Pioneering, Authentic) attributes.

KEY LEARNING POINT: When organizations build their business brands from a values-led (or principle-led) vs. a goals-led standpoint, the strength, consistency, and sincerity of its behaviors evolves organically. The secret is in the Brand DNA defining process, getting crystal clear on what you stand for as a brand and integrating it into all facets of your business; thus taking relevant action to make it tangible for all stakeholders to experience.

I don’t know about you, but when I have my customer shoes on and I experience a unique, positive, sometimes awe-inspiring situation that creates an emotional connection between me and the brand I’m doing business with, I could swear I am in the TWILIGHT ZONE! Unfortunately, in my opinion, it is all too rare when it does occur and it feels like an anomaly.  But when it  does happen, I feel like a scientist discovering a new species and I make an immediate mental note about the perception I have of that  brand to ensure I come back often and tell my friends.

I would be remiss to write this article and not provide you a list of some areas you can begin to flush out, in detail, where you have a true differentiator hiding in your file drawers, or under your computer somewhere! Read through the few areas listed below and see if you can uncover one or two key differentiators that, when actioned, can create a unique competitive advantage in the minds of your customers.

1. LONGEVITY: What  point of difference do you own in the market that is sustainable over time, can get better with age, and will not quickly become irrelevant, out of style, or out of mind?
2. DISTINCTIVE OR ONE-OF-A-KIND SKILL SETS:  What  quality attributes, credentials, awards, etc., distinguish you from all others in your industry category?  (i.e., no one else can lay claim to how you do it!)
3. PROPRIETARY INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL:  What do you possess and that you can leverage:  technology, trade secrets/patents, processes, methods, products, people (certifications, talent, knowledge, etc.)?
4. UNIQUE BEHAVIORAL ACTIONS: What behaviors do you  demonstrate that are uncommon in the industry and set you apart from your competition (relationship building—remember customers’ names and use in conversation at every touch point, service delivery—e.g., overnight, free shipping—both ways, response time—within 1 hour or less, accuracy—99.5% error free, etc.)

 

We have all experienced a brand that starts some unique action or behavior, like when Block Buster Video trained their employees to acknowledge when customers came in the door with a verbal “hello” from behind their service desk – always a pleasant surprise for as long as they did it. Then one day, it stopped. I’m not sure why, but I sure noticed it when it didn’t happen anymore. To me, it was a subtle emotional let-down, almost like when a relationship is giving tell-tale signs it has run its course and it is time to move on. 

So, what’s the diff? Well, consider this statistic. “94% of your customers WANT to be loyal.” Why do businesses just stop giving them reasons not to?

For more information on our step-by-step Brand DNA methodology; now delivered both on-site, and online, go to: http://www.BrandAscension.com/dna_webinar_weblanding.html.

About the Author:
Suzanne Tulien is Principal and co-Founder of The Brand Ascension Group, a multi-faceted consulting and training firm specializing in building brand perception. They partner with organizations to assist them in get laser-focused on defining their brand DNA and achieving sustainable brand success from the INSIDE OUT. They do this by guiding them to define, create, and build powerful brand experiences that engage, captivate and inspire customers, employees and all stakeholders. She is author of The 6 Myths of Small Business Branding, and co-author of Brand DNA.

 © THE BRAND ASCENSION GROUP®, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reprints by permission only. Suzanne Tulien and Carol Chapman are Principals in The Brand Ascension Group LLC a leading-edge, multi-faceted consulting and training firm that partners with organizations in defining and elevating their brands.  Through their innovative Brand Elevation™ methodology, they help clients capitalize on the power of human perception and engage them in conscious internal and external branding practices to propel and sustain the growth of their businesses. They can be reached at info@BrandAscension.com or 719.265.1707; 719.748.2290.

 

Don’t Miss the Brand Boat!

I’ve been holding off on this for a while, hoping that sooner or later leaders in the industry would actually catch on. But, to my dismay, yet another example has come to my attention to fuel my frustration about the ‘understanding of the term branding’.

I was on Twitter earlier today and came across a conference on branding, called Brand Manage Camp — being held in Las Vegas this October. Curious, I went to the web site hoping to see a plethora of skilled experts discussing the huge scope branding covers. Needless to say, once again, the primary (there is no secondary) focus is on the EXTERNAL side of ‘branding’ that should really be called ‘Marketing’.

Not one of their speakers is touted as being an expert an internal brand definition and development. And that really disappoints me because they are only educating the participants on half the picture! When companies focus their efforts entirely on marketing (external exposure) behaviors and have not yet clearly done the due diligence in clearly articulating who they are as a brand (their Brand DNA), then how can they create promise after promise in their marketing message and live up to that message??  They may be successful at getting customers in the door, but HOW DO THEY KEEP THEM? What is the promised experience? And where is the consistency?

What is the company’s brand style? What are their Values, true Differentiators? Standards of Performance? Without knowing these brand attributes, companywide, how do they deliver on them? How do they gain loyalty? How to they hire and retain employees?

A conference on Branding should cover all aspects of the process of branding both internal and external. When will this concept be embraced?

Our Brand defining process (IGNITE YOUR BUSINESS BRAND DNA) is a critical first-phase process of brand development, not dropping $10,000 into a marketing campaign or logo refresh. Long-term, sustainable, trusted brands are built from the INSIDE OUT.

If you are a small business our message to you is: STOP MARKETING, for now, and START BRANDING! Once your unique Brand DNA is defined and actioned internally, your marketing dollars will work smarter!

Check out our new small business, self-paced online Brand-defining course and discover how the process of brand definition can catapult your business growth. Work smarter, not harder — without spending $1 in marketing!  http://www.BrandAscension.com/dna_webinar_weblanding.html

 

BRAND AWARENESS; It’s All a ‘TWITTER®’

Have you been wondering how Twitter®, a free social networking service (www.twitter.com), can help you build brand awareness for your company? I must admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but after encouragement from a business associate, I decided to give it a whirl and a whirl it has been so far.  After just a few months of investigative use of the tool, I am now a firm believer that Twitter can definitely build tremendous awareness for any brand.

To date, no one really knows how many users are registered on Twitter. Some say as much as 5 million; others say as much as 10 million or more worldwide. When I heard these numbers, I thought, ‘Now that’s a huge opportunity for exponential brand exposure – with no hard costs!’

One thing we do know is that Twitter has grown in popularity at an extraordinary rate. So many people are using Twitter from all walks of life to expand their reach and express their brand—whether business or personal. This includes individuals, businesses, professionals, celebrities, and politicians—from all over the world.

What is Twitter?

1. Specifically, Twitter is a micro-blogging and instant messaging tool for your company. You can literally Tweet what you want all day long just so long as you stay within the 140 character or less limit per message.
2.  It’s a mass-communication tool to leverage your business message to the world. Some businesses are even dedicating staff to manage their Twitter accounts. And best of all it’s free to join – what a great brand awareness tool!

 What are Some Basics in Getting Started with Twitter?

1. When you register your account, create a complete profile on your business. Make sure you fill out all requested areas to include a graphic (visual) of your brand’s logo, your website URL, and a bio of your business. Your bio is very important as it is one of the first things people check out when they go to your Twitter page. They want to find out more about you. In your bio, be specific and to the point, as you are limited in the number of characters – 160. I am constantly referring to other’s bios to determine whether I want to follow the person/company or not as it’s important to connect with those who have a mutual interest in what The Brand Ascension Group does in the area of internal brand definition, creation, strategy and management.

Also, your website URL in your company profile is important. People who check you out see that  as well and they can click on it to get to your website. I check out everyone who has a website URL as that provides a lot more information on who they are and what they do and helps me determine if I want to follow them and their Tweets.

1. Create a custom background on your Twitter page that is highly appealing and has the same look and feel of your brand based on your unique Brand DNA. See http://www.brandascension.com/dna_webinar_weblanding.html for more information on defining your unique Brand DNA. This is extremely important. Your Twitter page should mirror the look and feel of your website, and emulate your distinctive brand attributes (Values, Style, Differentiators and Standards), which are the foundational elements of your Brand DNA. This creates consistency every time when others engage with you on Twitter, not to mention it’s essential to define and build your brand, and catapult your business growth. Notice how ours is highly relevant to our unique look and feel of our visual brand dress. Check out www.twitter.com/CarolChapman, www.twitter.com/SuzTulien, or www.twitter.com/brandascension (which we just set up).
2. Make your Tweets understandable, inviting, compelling and informative. You want to attract the right Tweeters as followers and you’ll want to follow those that have a common interest in what your business brand has to offer. So, make sure the information you Tweet is useful.

How Can I Build Brand Awareness on Twitter?

1. If you want to gain maximum exposure, keep yourself on the “public timeline” so everyone sees your tweets. To do so, leave the “Protect Your Updates” box in the Settings area unchecked.  If you check this, then your Tweet updates will become private and you’ll have to approve who you can follow you every time. It will also keep your updates out of search results within Twitter and you don’t want that to occur as this dramatically reduces the ability of others to find your company.
2. Use the ‘Find Other People’ or ‘Search’ tool on Twitter. Just type a name or particular concept such as branding, culture, marketing, etc.. This can be huge if you type in people in your industry and then find others that are following them. It opens up your reach significantly within your targeted industry or area of interest.
3. Post updates (messages) regularly (i.e., several times daily). Share your knowledge and resources, create mini-press releases (remember 140 characters or less) on something of interest about your company, notify others of your products and services, white papers, case studies, business events, etc. Don’t forget to provide any links to the information either on your website or other URLs.
4. Use Twitter to make connections, identify prospective customers and point others to your company’s website or other website with resources. This is a huge opportunity, as you build followership, to communicate information on what you are doing, your products and services, new product or service launches, or other resources you may want to point others to.
5. Create multiple accounts to exponentially expand your company’s exposure.
6. Leverage powerful tools to manage your accounts and the exposure of your brand. Go to http://adecon101.blogspot.com/2009/03/100-twitter-tools-to-help-you-achieve.html for 101 resources you can use. In the meantime, here’s three tools I’ve checked out recently and am using that you may want to consider:

•        TweetDeck.com –allows you to stay in touch with what’s happening at any given point in time, and connect you with your contacts on Twitter in a single concise view.
•        TweetSpinner.com or TweetLater.com– enables you to create and schedule Tweet messages in advance and manage these activities so as to increase your productivity.
•         TweetScan.com – allows you to find out information that is being Tweeted about your company and brand keeping up real-time with what is being said about you.

HAPPY TWITTERING! Feel free to respond to this article as it will be posted on our blog at http://feeds.feedburner.com/BusinessBrandingTips. We’d invite you to share your experiences in the use of Twitter with us and others who read our blog.

Don’t forget to check out and sign up for our brand-defining e-course “Ignite Your Business Brand DNA”  at http://www.brandascension.com/dna_webinar_weblanding.html before you get too far  using  Twitter—as it will only ensure consistency, relevance and distinctiveness with your brand in how you show up on Twitter.

And….stay tuned for future additions to this article as The Brand Ascension Group expands its knowledge, expertise and success in using Twitter and other social media tools to build brand awareness and grow our business.

 

The Time is Now to Turn Your Focus Inward

Occassionally we can expect our business growth to cycle as things slow down for us. It is a natural process of ebb and flow. A natural quietness that can actually be a gift for all business owners and their teams. It is often an overlooked opportunity to use this time to turn inward and begin revitalizing your internal brand roadmap. A time to rethink how your brand is being perceived, not only by your market, but by your employees. You see, every business has a brand; good, bad or indifferent. If you have employees, and if you have customers, then you have a brand. Whether you are conscious of designing that brand or not — a perception is formed whenever someone does business with you, or experiences you as an employee.

So, here is a challenge: Take a step back and really look at your brand, overall. Is it everything you hoped it would be? Are your employees living and breathing your brand’s essence daily? Are your customers telling their friends about your brand? What are they saying? What is extraordinary and memorable in their experience with  you?

What can you do, during this gift of time to begin working ON your business brand rather than in it? What can you do to define who you are, build your employee culture to reflect it, and create processes that affirm it in every behavior, every touchpoint.

Now, for the first time ever, a comprehensive online brand building webinar course is available and designed specifically for entrepreneurs. This course takes you and your teams through a step by step process to define, create and build your unique Brand DNA — your sustainable competitive advantage. Now is the time. What are you waiting for? In an economy such as this, only the strong brands will survive.

 

BRAND ASCENSION LAUNCHES FIRST EVER ONLINE BRAND TRAINING COURSE

BRAND ASCENSION LAUNCHES FIRST EVER ONLINE BRAND TRAINING COURSE;
SECURES NINE COLORADO SPRINGS’ ENTREPRENEURS and SBTV.com TO PARTICIPATE

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, December 2008: The Brand Ascension Group is launching the first ever pilot brand training program in January 2009 through Webex®, a virtual online meeting platform. Nine Colorado Springs’ business entrepreneurs have been secured to participate in this small business brand-building training as well as one featured guest from the national organization SBTV.com (Small Business Television).

The online training; “IGNITE YOUR BUSINESS BRAND DNA,” is a step-by-step program designed to help the small business define, create, and build their brand from the inside out through their leadership, employees, and processes. “Our proprietary methodology is a proven technique in helping companies create true distinction and much needed focused consistency when delivering their products and services,” said Suzanne Tulien, Co-founder and Principal of the Brand Ascension Group. “For small business owners, it’s an important time in our economy for them to focus on defining and building their brand’s perception to help their businesses walk their talk more powerfully,” she continues.

The brand-building program consists of 4, 1.5 hour training modules once a week along with specific ‘homework’ assignments for the entrepreneur and their employee teams to complete and submit. The live, online delivery is highly experiential and collaborative so as to share the insights and wisdom of all the participants and learn as a team. “This program is unique in that we focus on engaging our participants to learn through exercises, questions, polls and online collaboration,” says Carol Chapman, Co-Founder and Principal, The Brand Ascension Group. “Our training program fills an industry gap in that it educates the entrepreneur and their team to build a solid brand infrastructure, prior to expending any time and effort on external marketing, this approach helps make their marketing dollars work smarter” she continues.

When completed, these local pilot participants will have generated their own unique Brand DNA ‘roadmap’ that will be used to guide every future business decision and help them stay true to their own authentic brand. Their employees will have a solid understanding of the brand they work for and be enabled to live and embody the brand while delivering it consistently to their customers. Small businesses all over the world can enroll in this unique online brand-building program starting in April, 2009 by visiting

http://www.BrandAscension.com/dna_webinar_weblanding.html.

The Brand Ascension Group is a multi-faceted, consulting and training firm who works with visionary organizations to define, create, and build powerful brand experiences from the inside out. They are the pioneers of the Brand DNA methodology. They regularly write articles, blogs, newsletters, speak, and train on small business internal branding. The Brand Ascension Group, has two published two ebooks; “The 6 Myths of Small Business Branding” and “Getting Your Employees On the Brand Wagon available on their website. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

 

DOES YOUR COMPANY HAVE A BRAND PROMISE?

Do you have a promise that articulates your company’s value proposition and exemplifies the behavioral experience you to commit to deliver at every interaction? Have you thought about your brand promise? What do you commit to deliver to your customers…to your employees?

Being crystal clear and delivering relentlessly on your brand promise can set you apart from the competition. It can make the difference between you being perceived a commodity and excelling above that commodity. It can set the stage for your employees to continuously work to deliver on a commitment that no one else can deliver on as well or as fanatically as your brand.

Delivering on your brand promise is crucial to your success. According to the experts, the single most important aspect of successful branding is CONSISTENCY…showing up the same way every time, walking your talk and being true to what you stand for. 

So what are you waiting for? Make sure you have a Brand Promise and deliver on it consistently.