Don’t Sell Me…Tell Me a Story! Branding “U”

From our earliest memory, someone close to us has engaged our senses and desires by telling us a story.  I would suppose very few people grew up without hearing the opening, “Once upon a time…”, whether at home or at school.  Our minds are trained to pay attention to a compelling story line.  How many times have you found yourself lost in a terrific book or movie.  What was the common denominator?  A great story!

The same holds true when a business markets itself…and that holds true for small businesses as well.   Too often, the people involved focus only on “the deal”, or how great their product or service is.  Of course, a good deal is always important, but at what cost?  Have you created a need or desire for  your services?  Or, the million dollar question…do people like and trust your brand?

“Our time-pressed lives leave us too busy to fully assess whatever it is we want to buy, forcing us to turn to brands we already know and trust,” says David Reibstein, professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “That makes building a strong brand increasingly essential.”

Just as we are learning about social media…it is all about engagement with the consumer.  Giving your potential customers the ability to peek in and see what you stand for and what  your businesses’ interests are begins to build that rapport that can last a lifetime.

For those who can remember, it is similar to when we were kids and we went with dad to the hardware store, or with mom to the grocery store.  They knew the people who worked there; it was a sense of trust based on engagement – one on one, face to face.

As legendary sales guru, Jeffery Gitomer, coined, “people do not like to be sold…but they love to buy!”  Your company logo, mascot, or any other marketing materials are not your brand.  Your brand is your story – and how  consistently you tell it to the consumer – that pushes the needle in your favor.

What are your thoughts?

Related articles

• Personify Your Brand to Create Genuine Content (redbricksmedia.com)
• How To Ensure Your Brand Story Stands The Test Of Time (thehartford.com)

 

Branding U to Small Business Success Requires Being Unique!

What makes U different?

If you don’t try to make your business stand out, you could end up lost in a sea of similar business types, without an obvious angle that makes you unique.

What makes U special?

The above quoted passage is from a really intriguing article from Carol Tice in an issue of Entrepeneur.com from last year; about what is required for  a business to stand out from the crowd…any business…large or small.

However, it’s more than simply being “different” that leads to brand success.  It is “uniqueness”…and a brand promise U never sway from.  Does your brand relate to real-life people and solve real-life problems?

More from Ms. Tice :

What allows an entrepreneur to take their business to the next level?  It starts with confidence, and knowing who you are what your brand stands for.

Knowing what makes U different and what makes U special is the just the beginning.  Creating a buzz for your brand doesn’t require being fancy or convoluted; but it DOES require something people can believe in.

Related articles

• Branding needs to be taken seriously by small businesses (premierlinedirect.co.uk)
• Brand ~ what does our brand say about us and what we do? (alisoncrossjones.wordpress.com)

 

Good for External & Internal Marketing – How to Use Storytelling as a Leadership Tool

Want to know how important “storytelling” is in business?  Check out this article from Forbes Online from Dan Schwabel.  Whether it is internal or external marketing of your company or brand, storytelling is the key to success.

People will tell stories about you and your company whether you want them to or not. Fortunately, you can help choose which ones they tell. The way you do that?  You tell them first.

Full article here…

Related articles

• How Storytelling Can Lead to Higher Sales and Revenues [Infographic] (saleschase.com)
• Social Media and Storytelling (ixmaticommunications.com)

Storytelling At Its Best!

It was over 10 years ago, during my media sales career, that I learned how important effective storytelling is in conveying a message that people will pay attention and respond to.  Last night, I was reminded of why the legendary comic, Bill Cosby, has been so popular and beloved over multiple generations…

Simply put, he is a master storyteller.  

After seeing Cosby‘s (who is now approaching 80) most recent concert on TV Land over the holiday weekend, I decided to YouTube one of his classic routines from 1968, “To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With”, and play it for my daughters.  This was a routine that my older brother and I memorized word-for-word back in the day.  Fast forward to now and I still remember most of the routine by heart.

As a kid, I remember being able to visualize each aspect of The Cos having to sleep in the same bed as his younger brother and the mayhem that ensued.  Sure, there were exaggerations to his story; but that is what made it so engrossing.  (Click below to listen)

Bill Cosby has always been able to get you on his side and pull you in to his world.  That is what effective storytelling does.  Most people genuinely like Bill Cosby, and therefore are more apt to pay attention to his message.

When it comes to your small business, what story do you tell?  Is it all about you? Or, do you focus on helping people solve their problems and getting people to WANT to do business with you?

Would love to hear from you…

What Business Are U Really In?

Brand-U-Media was created to tell YOUR story about YOUR brand.  People do business with people they know, like, and trust.  U achieve this by personally telling your targeted audience, what makes U different…what makes U special?   In other words, what business are U really in?

Our job is to help you define that story…and from that, create a compelling message. Then, we find the right medium and media product that will speak to your desired market and focus only on them – again and again!

No waste…highly targeted…it’s how to get people to think of U first and like U best.

The Future of Storytelling in Your Marketing and Branding…

Without certain, media and how it is delivered has changed, especially, over the past five years.  I just read a great quote (featured in Rohit Bhargava’s blog.  The quote is from Brian Seth Hurst at the (of all things) first-ever storytelling conference, held recently:

“One of the greatest mistakes people believe is that technology changes the essence of the audience, because it doesn’t. It changes the way they participate.”

Great line, especially as it pertains to you’re the marketing and branding of your business.  Sure, we now have social media avenues popping up daily, and we need to understand the analytics that come with them.  But, in the end, it is still essential that your business must build that emotional connection with its consumers and potential consumers

Bhargava’s post also included this important quote from the conference:

“Customers don’t mind the story if they really feel like you’re doing it for them.” (Richelle Parham, CMO of eBay)

Bhargava went on to comment:

“How important is the story to actually making a sale? To find the answer, eBay commissioned an interesting social experiment where they worked with a group called Significant Objects to create stories for everyday (and relatively useless) items. The aim was to see if people would actually pay more for story value as opposed to “real” value. The answer was a resounding yes.”

A client of ours at Brand-U-Media had issues with their social media engagement.  They had fallen into the all too common trap of selling price and the deal.  Once we had them truly engaging with their audience and including postings that could become viral, their analytics increased as well as their business.

Like U Best…Think of U First….

No matter how U slice it or where U brand it.  Storytelling is your “secret sauce” to success.

Your thoughts?

 

Read Rohit Bhargava’s blog:  http://www.rohitbhargava.com/

Shoelaces?…We Don’t Have No Stinkin’ Shoelaces!!!

So, my company’s mantra is all about getting clients to think about what business they are REALLY in, and how to convey that to prospective customers.   That the goal for any business is to have people “Think of U First.” At the same time, we have all seen the huge nationwide marketing push for “buying local”.   But, what does a consumer do if that local option does not meet basic expectations?

Several weeks ago, I went to buy some replacement dress shoelaces  – I actually busted the originals a month or two before – but, hey…I like to procrastinate!  I believed the logical choice was to stop in to a locally owned shoe store, which has several outlets throughout the city.  Surprisingly, for all the rows of shoes they had to sell, they were VERY limited on shoelaces.  When I asked the sales clerk why, if they were a shoe store, did they not carry a solid choice of shoe LACES, she unfortunately could not give me a valid answer.  Same went for the manager.  Needless to say, I was out of there in less than a minute.

Guess where I wound up buying my shoelaces from?…A nationally-owned drug store chain!  Granted, their choice was not huge, but at least they had what I was looking for.  Oh, and I bought a Milky Way bar too on the way out.

I realize that this is a very small issue, but it just goes to show about how important it is to have your brand or product live up to expectations.  It simply makes sense to think that a store that bills itself as a shoe store AND has “shoes”in it’s name would carry such an important shoe accessory.

Face it, the reality is that it is much easier to buy shoes online these days, but I believe most of us want to “shop local”.  It is a shame that now, when I think of shoelaces – as well as shoes – I do not think of this “local” company first.

What are your thoughts?  Would love to get your opinion.

People Do Business with People They Like/Trust…

Had mid-morning coffee yesterday with a former colleague/competitor in the Charleston radio marketing arena.  While we only met  in person on several occasions and heard about each other through the grapevine; there has always been a mutual respect for one another.

Now, he is the rep for his company to my clients; and I will buy from him, probably soon.

Why?

Well, for one, his media properties are very effective, reaching across a wide spectrum of loyal users.  And, of course, with the right idea, message and marketing plans, my clients could certainly benefit from purchasing advertising on his radio stations.

But at the end of the day, the most important reason why I will buy from him is that I will be buying from him.  I genuinely like the guy.  And, after spending two-hours face-to-face with him yesterday, I got to like the guy even more.  While we have many ideas and beliefs in common from a business perspective, I also respect him…I trust him to help me help my clients succeed.

He didn’t come in with a big sales pitch…we simply talked about many different things; both of us understanding why we were REALLY there.

Regarding your business – what makes U different…what makes U special?  

If U want business to get done in your favor, make sure people like U best, so that they will think of U first!

PGA Fever In Charleston!

Even though we have had traffic nightmares all this week, having the PGA Tournament here at Kiawah Island, outside of Charleston, SC has been very exciting.  Tiger had a good second round….where do U think he will finish?