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)

Branding “U” – Clients Are Questioning Their Business Models, and Agencies Can Help

Great article from Jeff Welch of Mercury csc , regarding having companies figure out what business they’re REALLY in.  The outside view of an advertising agency can help in that process.  Remember, if U can’t measure, U can’t manage.  Thanks, Jeff!

Marketing, dogged by the old adage, “I know half of my advertising works, I just don’t know which half,” has long been viewed as Uncertainty’s handmaiden.  It’s one of the main reasons that marketers have rushed headlong into all things digital. “Now we measure everything,” the thinking goes — as we should.

Yet much to the industry’s dismay, Uncertainty lingers.  That’s explained by another wise old adage: “The best form of advertising is word of mouth.” Word of mouth doesn’t occur unless you do a lot of things right.  Really right.  Experientially right. Advertising can’t gloss over anything. s

Read rest of article here…

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…