Author: Ethan Theo

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

Categories
Branding

Let’s Talk About Designing Your Very First Inviting Brand

Article Contributed by Erin Ferree

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

 

Categories
Branding Online Business

Optimize your Facebook Brand Page for Engagement

Facebook can be an endless sea of convoluted updates and comments for you and may seem difficult to keep up with. However, if you have some simple items in place, management can be a lot easier. Here are a few strategies for optimizing your Facebook page for branding your business.

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.

Categories
People & Relationships

The Benefit of the Doubt: How Perception Can Make All the Difference

I receive a lot of interesting and entertaining emails from friends of mine. Some I delete, and others I pass along. Every now and then, I get one that contains important public service information that should be passed along to everyone.

One such email I received contained the following video of the latest on CPR from the American Heart Association. It seems that people were reluctant to perform the “mouth-to-mouth resuscitation” of classic CPR, and someone discovered that the chest compressions alone—if performed vigorously—were enough to engage the lungs and the heart. How fast is vigorously? Watch the corny video for yourself on YouTube and find out! (Just search for “Ken Jeong – American Heart Association – “Staying Alive” – Hands-Only CPR video)..

(I forwarded the email and video to my broadcast list, and I hope that you will watch it and do the same!)

The day after I sent it out, I received a response from a friend of mine, a physician who has spent many years in a hospital Emergency Room:

“A funny story about this: two years ago at one of my son’s baseball tournaments, a coach collapsed, and they called me over to the field. Now, I haven’t had any updated CPR training in about five years. I go over there and the guy has no pulse and no respiration, and some lady is doing CPR chest compressions really fast. I opened the guy’s airway etc., and the whole time the lady doing the compressions is singing ‘staying alive, staying alive, aah, aah, aah, aah, staying alive’, and I am thinking, ‘What a sick woman. This guy is dead and she’s singing Bee Gees’ songs.’ The guy made it to the hospital, got a pacemaker, and is fine. When I started telling other medical people about the sicko singing “Staying Alive” during CPR, they told me that it’s the tempo for the compressions. Thank God I didn’t open my big mouth during the CPR.”

How powerfully perception changes our view of a situation! With a little information, a shift of perception occurred that completely altered how my friend viewed the efforts of the woman involved. One piece of knowledge moved her from ‘sicko’ to courageous, well-informed helper.

In every context—whether we realize it or not—our view of an event is limited by what we perceive, and what we perceive is never the full story. Our perception is limited not only by our personal Perceptual Style, but also by the context of a situation, the history leading up to it, and the length and closeness of our involvement with it.

Too often, like my friend, we react with knowledge of only a small slice of the whole and end up drawing conclusions that are inaccurate at best and detrimental at worst. It is true that we cannot know everything about a situation before we must act, but we can give others the benefit of the doubt when their actions seem out of line. Because, as the old saying goes, “Things are not always what they seem.”

Understanding the role of perception in our lives takes conscious awareness and effort, but that effort offers rewards in the form of strong relationships, trust, and clear communication. Without it, we risk charging into a situation uninformed and ill-prepared. So much in our lives, loves, and businesses rests on accurate perception of a situation and our ability to communicate with others—being too quick to judge the actions of others can very quickly backfire.

Of course, understanding the role that perceptual differences play won’t always make our interactions with others “smooth sailing.” Some differences are simply too large to overcome. But in the vast majority of cases, a simple twist in perception—often due to more complete information—will allow you to see the world from another person’s point of view, and change the way you view their actions.

About the Author:

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley.  He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents.  For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit http://www.YourTalentAdvantage.com .

 

 

Categories
Human Resource

How to Build a Dependable Workforce: Using Background Checks

The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report shows the slight increase in jobs in the month of January 2012, yet again making our ascent out of this recession a slow and painful one.  There are still many displaced workers but the increase in economic stability is creating jobs. If you are one of the lucky employers who has the ability to hire employees in this market, the advice herein will be a refresher on how to weed out those with less than desirable histories, and how to spot those who may be omitting or including things that just may not be truthful – and cost you a lot of money in the end.

If you think that digging into prospective employees’ resumes, or even running a background check, is not necessary then you may want to think again. Recent stories of late with Executives who stated certain criteria that never existed makes you think, what else are people hiding? With more than half of all job applicants listing untruths on their resumes you may want to find out more about who you are considering for a hire and run a full background check, before you find out the hard way. Hopefully this infographic will help you improve your hiring process so that you can build the best workforce possible for your business.

About the Author:

The Business.com blog covers products, services and solutions to help grow a small business.

Categories
Success Attitude

3 Ways to Win the Super Bowl of Your Business

Regardless of whether your team won the Super Bowl or which commercial was your favorite, maybe you think most of the players on the field Sunday were highly-recruited, sought-after talent like Giants quarterback, Eli Manning. The team with the largest linemen or tallest receivers wins, right?

Nope.

The New England Patriots line-up included 7 players who weren’t even drafted as rookies while the New York Giants had 8. The Patriots’ 53-man roster only included 25 players they drafted and the Giants had 26. Almost half of each team was picked up off of waivers, after being cut by another team, or part of a trade. Other teams rejected them, but the two teams in this year’s Super Bowl gave them a chance and they succeeded.

How did they do it? And what can you learn from them that will help you Work Positive and be a winner in your game of business?

Work Hard

Center Dan Connolly was signed by the Patriots in September 2007 after he was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent that season on the Patriots practice squad. In 2008, he played in one game.  He started on Super Bowl Sunday.

“I take a lot of pride in knowing that I and a lot of other guys have come from kind of nothing. We’ve had to work hard to get where we’re at,” Connolly says.

How do you work hard in your business? To be a winner like Connolly, going from cut to Super Bowl starter, you choose to disregard that you come from nothing and focus on your championship goals. You do more with less. You innovate. You disrupt. You focus on what’s most important. You work hard.

Have Urgency

Matt Slater, a fifth-round draft pick by New England in 2008, sees similarities between all the players who overcome being drafted in the late rounds, not being drafted or being cut by other teams.

“You kind of have that sense of urgency from the day you come into the league knowing that things are not going to be easy for you,” Slater says. For Slater, every down counts.

Do you believe in your business with a sense of urgency, with a fire in your belly? Are you emotionally engaged and passionate about your work? Do you personally see to it that the next call is made, or widget crafted well?

Lower your expectations that the path to business success is easy. Take personal responsibility for controlling the activities you can.

Be Strategic

Victor Cruz, a wide receiver, wasn’t released by an NFL team, but he wasn’t drafted by one either. He led the Giants with 82 receptions for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns in the regular season.

“I wasn’t really shocked” about not being drafted, says Cruz, who’s 6-0, 204 pounds. “I understood the process and understood that I wasn’t a guy that had blazing statistics or was 6-6, 230 pounds or anything like that. I understood that I probably wasn’t going to get drafted and would just have to make the best of my opportunity … and just do the best I could to break through on the team.”

When you are strategic like Cruz, you strive for excellence as you Work Positive which means you do the best you can to break through and win in the game of business. To get that contract. To conceive a positive relationship with your employees or employer. To do what it takes to the best of your ability to succeed. You are strategic.

So the next time you experience rejection or failure, just remember that half of the players on the field for the Super Bowl went through what you’re going through. Yet they still succeeded in the game. You can, too.

About the Author:

Best-selling author, speaker, and coach Dr. Joey Faucette shares how all of us working together create a more positive world this week. Adapted from his #1 Amazon best-seller, Work Positive in a Negative World.