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)

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.