Exhibiting at trade shows always requires a significant investment, but the returns can be significant.  The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) estimates that there is an average saving of $914 for each new b2b customer if the lead comes through a trade show. (Source) These savings reflect a lower cost per a qualified lead, and a shorter amount of time between first contact and signing the contract. Admittedly there is good reason to be skeptical about a report from a body representing the exhibition industry, but even if the claims are exaggerated, then it suggests exhibiting is well worth the effort.

So how can you take advantage of the trade shows if your small business. The cost of attending a show can leave you with little budget. You also need to set aside at least one day before for training any exhibiting staff and a day after to catalogue and pursue all those leads you are going to get. So where can you make savings and how do you make them with the least impact on your impact?

Where are you exhibiting?

There is a lot to consider when choosing a trade show; it needs to be relevant. There is little point in a garden shed manufacturer exhibiting at a baking show for example. It also needs to be a show where you can make an impact. Sure CES, SxSW and the Mobile World Congress are going to be great experiences, but you have to be really good, or really big to stand out. Smaller and more local shows are likely to have less competition and lower costs. A show in your own city for example will massively reduce your transport costs and mean you don’t need to book any hotels.

Having said that the show needs to be relevant if you can think of an interesting angle then a show which isn’t immediately obvious could be a great opportunity. At #PAXeast a games conference this year Rohto Eye drops turned up offering samples and a staring contest called ‘Stare Wars’. By doing this they positioned themselves as the eye drop for gamers and found an underexploited market for their product. By increasing the range of shows you can attend, you will find more opportunities within your budget.

Displays and Stands:

After the ticket for the show any exhibition stands are probably going to be your biggest cost. Not only the initial cost, but storage, transport and setting up will all add to your costs. There are ways to cut down on these however.

1.    Rent or buy? While large companies can easily afford to buy massive customized displays filled with the latest gadgets, this option is not available to smaller business. If you don’t exhibit often then renting a stand is a simple way to get more bang for your buck. Most of the large exhibition display companies offer customizable rental displays, you will still need to buy any graphics, but the actual framework and furniture can be rented for a fraction of the cost.

2.    Do you need the biggest and the best? Truth is you are unlikely to beat the big players at any large show by trying to be more glamorous. But you can turn this to your advantage, small businesses offer things that large ones can’t. Reliability, flexibility and a personal touch are all hallmarks of a well-run small business and a trade show is a great chance to demonstrate this. For example rather than changing your graphics every show, have a single banner stand or a panel dedicated to the specific needs of this show. You can make up for the lack of impact through well trained and enthusiastic staff, as well as your own enthusiasm. If you have the creative abilities in your team you could even try making your own!

3.    Explore the show. At our last show we got a lot of qualified leads from walking around and talking to people while wearing branded t-shits.

Promotional Products:

I know some people swear by them and others hate them. They aren’t necessary but well thought out promotional products can be a great help. And no a pen with your brand name on it won’t cut it. Much as I appreciate never needing to buy a pen, I have so many that any brand message is just drowned. One option we found successful was handing out tip sheets for exhibitors. Not only did this demonstrate our knowledge with-out giving too much away. But by putting our brand on some relevant and useful information we insured that it was in our visitors minds when they most needed it.

Show Services:

Show services such as food, setting up your stand and so on are expensive. But there are ways to reduce or negate most of these costs. These are another reason why local shows are some of the best to attend.

1.    Food. At many shows food is sold at a premium, rather than buying at the show you can save money by bringing your own. This may not be glamorous, but it will be cheaper and probably healthier.

2.    Bins, vacuum cleaners and tables all of these can be usually be rented from the venue, but once again they will be at premium, save yourself some money and bring your own.

3.    Assembling your stand. If it all possible you should transport and assemble your own stand. Labor costs are always expensive and if you and your staff can assemble your stand safely then there is no reason to hire someone else too.

Hopefully the advice above should help you cut down on costs with-out cutting down on impact. In many ways a reduction in budget can actually be a help by forcing you to focus on what really matters. Well trained staff, a focus on the problem that you are solving and an escape from the gimmicks found on too many stands and displays. How have you saved money on trades shows and how well have they worked for you?

This is a guest blog post from one of our supporters, Daniel Frank, who writes on behalf of Nimlok exhibition stands. He writes on marketing techniques particularly trade shows.

After all, this is where all my experience comes from… I started out as a graphic designer, helping very-first-timers design their first business brands.

Along the way, I learned many, many valuable lessons about designing your first brand… so I thought I should share.

Many first-time entrepreneurs consider designing their brand a “first order of business” -  they think that before they launch, they’ve got to design their logo, business cards and their website.

I get it… there’s a lot of not-fun stuff to do when you start your business. Setting up accounts. Creating contracts. Dealing with your business entity choice (whether you’ll be a corporation, sole proprietor or LLC).

This is important stuff, and at the same time, it’s really not the creative adventure you set out to have in your business.

So you avoid it… and try to have some serious fun by commissioning or creating your business designs.

And you’re counting that fun towards the cause of “advancing your business”.

That’s oh-so-wrong. For many reasons.

First of all, it’s a stalling tactic that nervous entrepreneurs use to avoid selling their services. Selling freaks them out, so they say, “I just have to have this website put together… then I can start making calls.”

That’s straight-up crazy… you don’t need a website, or a logo, or really any graphics at all. You just have to start having those first conversations with potential clients and start selling and delivering your services.

It may seem that having a logo will make that transition easier, and the truth is… it’s more likely to hurt you than to help you.

And reason #2 will show you why that’s so important: because a brand is a two-way discussion. You have to design your brand to speak to your ideal clients. To show and tell them what you stand for in your business.

If you haven’t had any clients yet, how can you possibly design your brand FOR them?

You’ve got to create your brand for your clients. They’re the ones listening in and watching you. And so your brand has to be meant to communicate with them.

Because they’re completely serious about a picture saying 1000 words… and you want to make sure they’re saying the right 1000 words to the right people. Right?

Your brand designs should communicate all of that meaning and emotion behind your business.

So, before you design, you not only have to figure out who you’re communicating with… but also what you’re trying to say.

How to figure that out? Answer these questions:

What is your business all about?

And how do you want your clients to feel when they work with you?

In your brand,  you have the opportunity to tell your clients all of that, and even more, about your business.

Your brand is powerful because you can show, not just tell.

A gorgeous brand can do so much more than communicate.

• Gives your invisible, intangible service a face and makes it more real and less abstract.
• Turns heads and opens doors for you.  Clients will say, “have you seen this?” and pass your marketing along for you.
• Sticks in peoples’ minds, making a memorable, lasting impact.
• Moves your clients from “know” to “like” quickly… and ease the transition into “trust.” You’ll know this is happening when you hear them say, “wow, I love that! Tell me more…”
• Raises the perceived value of your services, cut back on sales objections and speed up your sales cycle.

So, it’s imperative that you put the effort into figuring out what you want your 1000 word-picture to say, and who you want it to say that to. That’s the only way you’re going to make the gorgeous impression you want to make.

Do you want more clients? Learn how treating your brand like an invitation helps you get more clients. This interactive ebook will walk you through10 secrets for small business owners that open the door to more sales, make their brands more engaging and create their own success. Grab yours today! http://www.brandstyledesign.com/inviting-branding

Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up. She’s branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years, to create an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity. http://brandstyledesign.com

1. Upload your logo or part of your logo. I say “part of your logo” because sometimes your first initial or caricature can stand alone. SEOMoz, for instance, has only a photo of their Moz robot as their thumbnail. This really helps with branding because you’re dictating to the consumer what to associate with your name. If you have a long explanatory slogan, people might not read it. Consider dropping that from the Facebook brand page image. Keep it nice and clean–appealing to the consumer when he/she first sees it.

2. Utilize plug-ins. Do you have an awesome company blog? Don’e be afraid to show that bad boy off by RSSing in the feed onto a new Facebook page tab labeled “Blog” or “Insights.” You can use tabs to create separate landing pages for a contest your company is promoting, for instance. You can use this page’s unique URL to send visitors right where they need to go instead of sending them to your Facebook Wall page and having to rely on them to find it (this never happens).

3. Always respond to comments–even if it’s not a question. Say thanks, ask questions. People are more apt to share photos or stories or recommendations with a business page that is well-managed. Always answer complaints, too. Don’t delete bad comments-you will only look as if you’re avoiding the problem. Address it head-on and you’re likely to turn a disgruntled customer into a fan again.

4. Use consistent brand messaging across all social platforms. Don’t have different people with different opinions managing the brand page on Facebook and Twitter and Google+. You want your audience to get to know your brand’s “personality,” whether it’s humorous or informational.

5. Use your tools. Facebook has a wealth of information on its Insights page. Use this to your advantage. Find out how many people are talking about your brand, who is sharing information about your brand, the demographics of people interacting with your brand, etc. Use these metrics to inform your marketing strategies later. Have you seen a spike in 20-something men “liking” your page? Talk about things that are relevant to them (and you) for better engagement.

6. Use Facebook PPC if it’s in the budget. This is a great way to promote your brand and Facebook page. It can be especially helpful if you’re running specials or a contest. People will often sign-up to receive email updates or a newsletter for the chance to win something (just don’t bombard their inboxes or you’re going to lose them!).

7. Update A LOT. This doesn’t mean silly “fill in the blank” updates twice a day. I mean dig in. Research what’s going on in your industry or community. Talk to other brands and other people about what’s important to them. Don’t be so self-serving. It will all come around positively in the end. I promise.

8. Fundamentals are key. List all relevant information about your brand on the information page. This seems like a no-brainer, but we see people skip these steps all of the time. List locations, business hours and phone numbers. Upload photos of your facility and reviews from Google Places and Yelp!

These are just a few quick tips to keep in mind when creating and managing your brand presence on Facebook. There are plenty of other options that involve content and video creation to propel your Facebook brand page. With the Facebook Timeline rolling out for brand pages this month, there will certainly be more.

About the Author:

Amber Evans is the Social Media Manager at Visiture in Charleston, SC. You can reach her at amber@visiture.com.

If you run a company or work for one then you will know just how important it is to have a recognisable brand and to make sure that it is noticeable and have others be aware of it. There are numerous different strategies that companies employ to make sure that their brand and logo is noticed by other companies and individuals alike. You don’t necessarily need to have a huge and complex scheme to ensure that your brand is noticed; small scale changes can be just as effective. One simple change that you can make is to your stationery and office equipment. Having a noticeable brand and logo will create a professional image for your company.

Putting your company name and brand on your company stationery may not seem to be an obvious way of increasing interest and making you noticed but it can work and produce good results for your business. If you regularly have meetings with clients and potential clients then you need to make the best possible impression and present a strong image. You can help to do this through the use of appropriately placed company logos and branding on items of stationery and documents that you use in your meetings with clients and customers. Having a logo placed on any relevant materials will help to increase the attention given to your brand by clients. If people frequently see your company name and logo then they are more likely to remember it and pay attention to it than if it has just been mentioned once on one occasion.

There are many ways that you can make sure your brand is noticed ranging from large banners outside your offices to bespoke document wallets bearing the company name or logo. Customised stationery with your company brand printed on it can also help to create a more professional image of your company and convey the right impression to your clients. As you know, creating the right impression to clients can make the difference between getting the business or not. Having all of your notes for a meeting organised together in a bespoke document wallet with your company logo on it makes you look much more professional and organised than if you simply had a disorganised pile of papers and documents. It can only take one small detail for people to change their mind about whether to use your company or not and having that extra touch to your documents and organisation can tip the balance in your favour.

One of the key areas that can make a difference to the success of your company is having a professional image. Having a professional image adds an air of confidence of success to proceedings and can be very beneficial in meetings with clients and other companies. One simple but effective way to create a more professional look is by having personalised stationery products such as ring binders and document folders; having these made with your company logo printed on them will help you stand out from the competition.

Now, that sounds just like exactly what you need to get your business fired up and moving along! But then reality creeps in…

There’s the pressure of creating a fresh, interesting and new idea. You can’t just reach into a magic hat and pull that perfect idea out. Sitting and waiting around for that genius to strike doesn’t seem action-oriented enough for you. You’re ready to get started on what’s next… but you need the idea to begin with, plus the insurance and assurance that it’s a good one.

Then there’s the danger of introducing fresh ideas into your brand. You’ve worked long and hard to build your brand and nurture your fans and clients. So, naturally, you’re worried that you’ll come up with an idea that’s fresh, exciting, new and different, pour your heart and soul into developing it, and do all the incredible work behind getting that idea out into the world… and after all of that, your clients and fans won’t like it.

That they might freak out. What if they don’t like the idea you worked so hard on? Wouldn’t it be terrible if clients who were going to hire you decide, based on your new idea, not to?

Or, worse yet, that your chatty, happy and engaged clients and fans clam up, withdraw and become uninterested and disengaged. Clearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, and a sure sign that you’re on the wrong track.

Why are new ideas so tricky?

Introducing new ideas takes a special mix of ingenuity, bravery and finesse.

Here’s how they work together:

The ingenuity to generate an idea – OK, this is more like “a bunch of new ideas”… so you can have the freedom to create a bucket full of many less-fantastic ideas on the way to one fresh, new, interesting idea. And then you need the foresight, common sense and client-understanding to sort out the good from the not-so-good ideas.

The bravery to launch that idea and incorporate it into your brand and marketing. After all, your brand is precious and you’ve worked hard to build it. Launching a new thing can be both exciting and scary – exciting because you’re proud of your new idea and can see the possibility in it, and scary because you’re not quite sure how your clients and contacts will react to it. You can cut down on the scariness by selecting a few of your clients and unveiling the idea early, to see how they feel about it and what questions they have. That way, you can fine-tune your idea with their input, to make it make the most sense and impact possible.

The finesse to introduce the idea to your clients in a way that doesn’t freak them out. This is the part that takes the most discipline. You have to roll out your idea in a way that brings your clients along with you and your excitement over it – instead of making them slam on the brakes. That means keeping them comfortable before, during and after your launch – and letting them know whether this is a whole new direction or if you’re still offering the things they’ve gotten used to.

When you bring ingenuity, bravery and finesse along on your quest for new ideas, you’ll find yourself creating the kind of innovative, interesting and engaging ideas that keep your clients coming back for more.

About the Author:

Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She’s been told that her right-brain, left-brain combination of creativity and logic is hard to come by… and that it’s what small business owners need to be successful. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up.

She deeply enjoys working with entrepreneurs who want to help more people and look good doing it. Who want all of their branding and marketing to make sense and speak to their ideal clients. And who want an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity – instead of using icky, pushy, sleazy marketing tactics and trickery.

She’s branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years. She’s been published in so many books and periodicals that she stopped counting. She’s shared stages with some awesome people – like Michele PW, Linda Hollander, Lisa Cherney, Sheri McConnell and Kelly O’neil.

In the rare moments when she’s not obsessing about branding or design, she can be found hugging her corgi-dog Stanley, going for long walks, cooking improvisationally, or throwing parties so her friends can enjoy them.

Learn more at http://brandstyledesign.com

If you help to run a company or work for an organisation then you will know just how important it is to create the right sort of image for your company and the importance of promotion and creation of interest. One key element in creating the right sort of image is making sure that you look professional even down to things like the company stationary items. Having personalised or bespoke stationary can really help to create a good image around a company or organisation.

Your work may involve meeting various clients or important visitors face to face for discussions or meetings and you will know that impressions are very important in these sorts of situations. Creating the right sort of impression can be helped through the use of custom folders and ring binders. Having a company name or logo on a file can add a little more importance and promote an even more professional image. It is possible to have custom ring binders with your company name and logo printed on it and you can then use these for meetings and other important events to increase exposure of your company name and brand. It may be the case that you send out various pieces of promotional literature or brochures to prospective clients and customers. If this is the case then these can be sent in personalised folders which bear the company logo or have the company name clearly printed on them. If you are trying to increase the interest in you or your products then every little bit of promotion can help to achieve this. Customised presentation folders and wallets can help to increase the interest and can attract attention more than a plain folder would.

If you send out promotional brochures in folders with a company name and logo on them to people then not only are they more eye-catching for that person but there is a chance that other people may be more likely to see them and take notice of them. Any increased attention to your company name or brand is likely to be good news and might lead to further interest from people who were not your original clients. As a name and brand means so much in terms of advertising it definitely pays to have your company name seen as much as possible by as many people as possible. Like the majority of people, if you see a folder or information pack that has an eye-catching name or logo on it then you are more likely to pick it up and read it than if it is a plain and unbranded folder.

Customised and personalised stationary is a useful tool to use when you are promoting a company and attempting to increase interest or to create a more professional looking image for the company. Brand identity can be crucial for making sure your business is a success and so it is essential that you promote it through the use of the company name and logo wherever it is possible to do so including on files and folders.

Article Contributed by Martin Neil

Having an attention-getting sign is critical for your local businesses – no matter the industry.  Your business signage identifies your business and location and it establishes your business image. Your business signage is the core of your brand identity strategy, whether it is proudly mounted on the building, on your booth or display at a trade show, or on your company vehicles.

It’s also the most cost-effective advertising you can do.  The Small Business Administration says, “…signs are the most effective, yet least expensive form of advertising for the small business.”  Building signage is often taken for granted, but signs are always on the job, advertising 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How Improved Business Signage Will Help You Brand Your Company, Communicate with a Highly-Mobile Society & Leverage Your Advertising Efforts

1        Your business signage is the only indicator that you exist and would like your prospect’s patronage.

2        A frequently-noticed business sign sends your message to more people per dollar invested than any other form of advertising.  For example, if you display a $200 sign for one year at a location where 10,000 cars pass every day, you’ve reached over 3.5 million people (not counting passengers), at a cost per person of less than $.000057. (Less than six hundred-thousandths of a dollar.)  Even a high-end, lighted or monument sign that costs $5000, still reaches those people at a cost of $.0014, or a little over a tenth of a cent each.

3        95% of retail business is location-based.  As consumers pass by your place of business, an attractive and effective on-premise sign will leave a positive impression. When the time comes to make a decision or purchase, consumers will be attracted to you.

4         About 40 million Americans move annually to a new home, all needing to buy goods and services, and looking for brands that stand out.

5        Enhanced sign technology allows sign faces to be easily changed to match evolving marketing circumstances.  New developments in lighting, plastics, digital printing resolution, and color profiling mean signs can now achieve the same visual effect as four-color magazine advertising.

6        Your company does not need to be a national franchise with a major advertising budget to “brand” your site with effective signage.  If appropriately designed and placed, your sign can develop top-of-mind awareness of your products and services, no matter the size of your business.

7        Many communities and cities have strict sign codes requiring that signage remains attractive and in harmony with the look and feel of the community, while encouraging business activities.  Advances in sign design and technology means that via signage, your company can communicate more effectively to potential customers in a way that enhances both your site and the community at large.

8        Purchase habits can be influenced with effective signage.  Pricing or product information can influence a purchase decision or prompt an unplanned stop, which is critical, since nearly all businesses rely in part on impulse visits.

9        A well-designed sign can provide a positive perception of quality and service and create the image of a leader, even for the smaller business.  For the national franchise or chain, on-premise signage reinforces all other media advertising, and maximizes advertising effectiveness at a low cost.

10    By adding your business signage to your car and “wrapping” your company vehicles with striking vinyl, you can generate over 600 visual impressions for every mile driven  At about $0.35 per thousand impressions for a typical vehicle wrap, the cost is almost trivial compared to $3.56 for outdoor advertising or over $20.00 for typical magazine advertising.

About the Author:

Orange County Business Signs Specialist Martin Neil contributes value to businesses and non-profit organizations across the United States by increasing their brand awareness with the very best sign solutions. He specializes in custom requirements for commercial building signage, vehicle wraps, office inside signage, trade show displays, promotional banners & flags, and large-size wall graphics. Improve your business signage by going to: http://www.Calibersi.com/Building-Signage.html

Article Contributed by DSLserviceproviders.org

Because our society has grown so dependent upon the internet for marketing, networking and branding, it’s hard to imagine that the technology has only existed for about fifteen years. In such a short time, it’s become nearly impossible to manage your brand or protect it without some working knowledge of the internet. If you’re looking to keep your brand secure, here are ten tips that might smooth your path.

1. Keep It Distinctive – The best brand names are those that are unique and easy to remember. As you begin to build your brand’s reputation, you’ll have to live with the name you’ve chosen or forced to start from square one. Take your time choosing a brand name, and make sure it sticks in the minds of your customers.
2. Trademark It – While it’s not legally required, the best and most effective way to protect your brand name from trademark disputes is to register the name as soon as possible. There are a myriad of services that will run trademark and common-law searches to be sure that the name you’ve chosen isn’t already in use; it’s a good idea to utilize these services before attempting to register.
3. Sign Up For Google Alerts – Using Google Alert will help you to track the reputation of your brand with little fuss. The first step to keeping your brand’s reputation up is to know what people are saying. With this service or others of its ilk, the process is painless.
4. Design a Memorable Logo – A well-designed logo is an absolute must for establishing your brand; building an online presence as soon as possible will protect your brand from any confusion if a business with a similar name begins to do the same. Your logo will be the one that people recognize first, if it’s eye-catching.
5. Go to War With Negative Reviews – Despite your best efforts, bad reviews will inevitably crop up. Disgruntled former employees or even competitors may seek to malign you by leaving undeserved poor reviews; make it a priority to learn how to “wash out” negative mentions.
6. Create YouTube Videos – One of the first returns on almost any Google search is a related YouTube clip. Use this to your advantage by creating your own form of viral marketing videos; do something edgy and people will talk about your brand.
7. Make Social Networking Work For You – Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are crucial for raising brand awareness and protecting a brand name. Create profiles and build the strongest possible brand presence on the sites; in addition to being a top Google search return, these also allow customers to interact with you and to share information about your brand with one another.
8. Blog Religiously – Start a blog, and update it with relevant content as often as possible. Informative blog entries will attract attention, boosting your online presence and creating a buzz about your brand.
9. Twitter Away – Tweet, tweet and tweet some more. Retweet posts relevant to your brand, follow those who are following leaders in your industry, and create goodwill by helping to promote your peers.
10. Make Sharing Simple – Add buttons to your website and blog that make sharing on Facebook, Digg and Twitter as simple as the click of a mouse. When content catches a user’s eye, they can easily share it with all of their friends and followers. These shares will boost your presence exponentially.

Article Contributed By Jeff Beals

“Had a very long day today. Got into an argument with my boss and a client. All I want to do is drink a glass of wine and take it easy, but I have to do laundry tonight. Arrrgh!”

This is the text of a post I once read on a friend’s Facebook page. She was clearly frustrated after a tough day at the office.

There’s nothing earth-shattering about this post and certainly nothing unusual. We all have periodic days we would rather forget. It’s common to come home from work tired out, feeling sick to your stomach, knowing you have important work to take care of at home.

That said, the Facebook post above does nothing to build my friend’s personal brand, and worse yet, it probably harms it. In the branding game, we need to paint a picture, cast a vision of ourselves as interesting, fascinating and anything but ordinary. We should never lie when we make a post on the social media, but don’t focus on the mundane. Focus on those things that will make people want to know more about you, wish they were like you and want to go out of their way to work with you. Be special. Be fascinating. Be intriguing.

The Internet is the greatest marketplace ever invented, because it is available worldwide 24-hours a day, is so vast that every imaginable product or service is available, has low barriers to entry and is comprised of billions of prospective customers.

The Internet is also the worst marketplace ever invented, because it is available worldwide 24-hours a day, is so vast that every imaginable product or service is available, has low barriers to entry and is comprised of billions of prospective customers. It’s too loud and crowded, making it hard to be noticed.

While the Internet (and the social media that are a part of it) provides us with historically unprecedented access, it also provides us with unprecedented clutter. It is easy and challenging at the same time. It has the potential of bringing riches but is filled with land mines. You can’t afford to take missteps.

That’s why savvy professionals carefully manage their online brands just as they manage how their personal brands appear everywhere else. Below are a few pieces of advice to keep in mind as you promote your personal brand online and take advantage of the countless benefits that come from the world’s greatest AND worst marketplace.

It’s a Game of Fundamentals – Regardless of the medium used, your personal branding must be of value and stand on its own merit. In other words, nobody is impressed just because you have a presence online. People are impressed if your presence is interesting, fresh and provides value to them. When determining what you’ll write or say online, think back to your area of self-marketing expertise, the part of your professional self that is most interesting to other people. That’s what you talk about when you make posts on the social media.

The Invisible Man or Woman – I will periodically receive a call from a stranger, who says, “Jeff, I’d like to meet with you, get to know you and pick your brain. Do you have time for lunch next week?” As soon as I hang up, the first thing I do is Google that person. I want to know who I’m dealing with and what he or she is all about. This may not be fair, but if nothing or very little pops up after I Google someone, I’m unimpressed. My assumption is that they don’t have much going on; they’re not involved in their profession or community.

It’s safe to assume people are Googling you too. When that happens, you MUST have a presence. A number of positive things about you should show up in their search results. To be safe, I recommend you Google your own name at least once a month. Also check Bing, Yahoo and other search engines just to make sure you cover all the bases.

If you are not satisfied with your search results, start building a better online presence now. Deliberately build a “Google trail” that people can follow to get to you:

• 1. Maximize social media. Postings, links and photographs show up in many searches.
• 2. Become a blogger. Write interesting articles about your area of self-marketing expertise. You can also comment on others’ blogs.
• 3. Once you have a blog, submit your articles to the countless websites that publish articles written by a wide variety of people. Just make sure your writing is of high quality.
• 4. Tell everyone about each of your new blog articles via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
• 5. Shoot short but interesting videos related to your area of self-marketing expertise and make them available on YouTube.
• 6. Post messages using your real name on discussion forums that relate to your profession. Just make sure the forums are legitimate.
• 7. Write reviews of products and services on various websites using your real name.
• 8. Develop your own personal website, where you post articles, photos and information about yourself in a flattering way.
• 9. If you are an officer in an organization, or if you sit on a board of directors, see if the organization will include your name, bio and photo on its website.
• 10. Start a regular podcast.

Live Socially – The social media are such an important part of online branding, they deserve their own section:

• 1. Develop a nice list of friends, connections and followers on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Don’t just invite people willy-nilly. Make sure you know them or have had a professional interaction with them.
• 2. Participate in LinkedIn discussion groups
• 3. Ask and answer questions on LinkedIn. This has generated powerful results for many professionals.
• 4. Keep your profile information up to date especially on LinkedIn and include all your accomplishments. In a lot of ways, a LinkedIn profile is akin to your resume or professional bio.
• 5. Don’t just tweet. Re-tweet the tweets of other Twitter tweeters.

Avoid the Gotcha’s – A few words of caution are in order:

• 1. Don’t succumb to the temptation and do anything online that would undo the hard work you put into building your personal brand.
• 2. Never slander or libel someone else.
• 3. You may want to disconnect from or de-friend anyone whose online behavior is unbecoming or unprofessional.
• 4. Carefully manage how you are depicted in photographs. Keep in mind that undesired photos of you may appear in someone else’s social media.
• 5. If you want to participate in non-professional discussion forums, consider using an alias or a pseudonym.

In conclusion, remember that your Internet presence is to you what a big advertisement in the yellow pages was for large companies 20 years ago. If you’re not easy to find, you might as well not exist. But just don’t put yourself out there for the sake of “existing.” Manage your online brand and carefully control your online presence. Be interesting and relevant, while always remembering that the most effective messages you can deliver are the ones that bring value to your readers, listeners and viewers.

About the Author

Jeff Beals is an award-winning author, who helps professionals do more business and have a greater impact on the world through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. As a professional speaker, he delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. You can learn more and follow his “Business Motivation Blog” at JeffBeals.com.

Do you ever feel like your brand’s a little bit chilly? Like it’s too professional or boring? Or you’re distant… not as cozied up and close with your clients as you’d like to be?

Why not warm it up a bit? Warmth in your brand can make it seem more alive, open, passionate, and even both interesting and interested. The warmth is a sign that your small business is run by a real person and that you care about your clients.

A warm brand also does a lot for your client relationships. Warmth will create a better connection with your clients, make nervous, shy or hesitant clients feel welcome and at home buying from you, encourage engagement and conversation around your brand, foster goodwill and up your likeability factor. It can also increase your client attraction significantly, because people are attracted to warmth and openness – instead of feeling shut out in the cold.

In this season of open houses, holiday parties and rekindling relationships… you can learn a lot about warming up your brand from the parties you go to. The best holiday parties create a natural, easy “warm and fuzzy” feeling in everyone’s hearts.

Here are a few ways that you can create that feeling in your brand for your clients:

• Focus on how you want your clients to feel. Parties create an emotional experience – they create happiness, celebration, closeness or even reflection. Instead of trying to tell your clients just what’s happening, or how it happens… use words and images in your brand to evoke a specific feeling.
• Design your brand to create conversation. Whether or not there’s great conversation at your party depends on a few factors: lighting, music, whether you have games or dancing, and how comfortable your guests are talking to each other. If you want to create conversation in your brand, design opportunities to start and encourage conversation. To make this happen: ask questions. Create open-line teleconferences. Hold a “fireside chat” where the focus is more on talking and less on teaching. Introduce and connect your clients to each other to create community.
• Bite-sized nibbles (of information) are the way to go. Unless you’re at a sit-down dinner party, maneuvering with a plate full of food can be tough – and it’s even harder to enjoy what you’re eating. In your business, how are you filling your clients up with information instead of breaking things down for people so that they can enjoy it one bite at a time? It’s tempting to show off all of your expertise and information, but that can make it harder for your clients to learn. One of the greatest ways you can serve your clients is by breaking things down and making it easy for them to learn, understand and use.
• Be upfront about what you expect your clients to do. When you’re invited to a party, it’s natural to ask, “what can I bring?” Clients want to know what they need to bring, too. For example, when I design a website, I let the client know what they’re expected to bring to the table – like website copy, website hosting, their headshot. I even provide a handy checklist so they can work through it and make sure they’re organized. How can you do the same in your business?
• Welcome a new client warmly in their first moments with you, and let them know what to expect. When you show up at a party, the host says hello, tells you where to put your coat, shows you around and makes sure you’ve got your first drink in-hand. How are you settling your clients – and even your subscribers – in? And how can you make that part of the experience better?

These are just a few of the lessons you can learn from a holiday party about warming your brand up. As you go to parties this season or reflect on those you’ve been to, what lessons do you see that you can implement now in your brand?

About the Author

Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up. She’s branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years. Erin works with entrepreneurs who want to help more people and create an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity – instead of using icky, pushy, sleazy marketing tactics and trickery. Learn more at http://brandstyledesign.com