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Branding and Internal Communication
In the I-HR newsletter, moderator Beth N. Carvin asked if the idea of branding could be used, effectively, to improve productivity and retention. This is an expanded version of my response to her question:
Yes, I think you can use the idea of...
Greasing the Path to Success: Finding the Confidence to Step Up to Key Moments
Whether it’s making a prospecting call to a promising business contact, giving an informal “elevator speech” to a networking group, or attempting to close a transaction, there are certain key moments when putting your best-dressed foot forward...
How to Get Customers to Flock to Your Home-Based Business
You’re a home-based business owner who wants to generate more income. You can generate more income by serving more clients, but you don’t have an unlimited budget to advertise – here are some effective marketing tips that you can implement for...
New Uniforms Could be the Gold Charm for the Golden Arches
New designer uniforms could be the gold charm gold charm McDonald's needs to connect their new hip marketing campaign to their fast-food restaurants. This possible gold charm for the fast-food chain has the ability to let the actual fast-food...
The super brand Marlboro
The Marlboro cigarettes story began in 1847 and was marketed mainly to women in London. This marketing strategy did not go over so well. In the 1920's, Marlboro cigarettes were then introduced to the American market as the cheap Cigarette of choice...
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Make your Mark by building your reputation
If you have to part with your hard-earned money for some goods
or services, who would you rather trust: a novice provider or an
expert one? The answer to that question is what makes branding
so much important.
Branding is the process, nay, the art, of stamping a seal of
professionalism and reliability on products or services that are
related to you. It's the core of every business and the heart of
every successful trade. Donald Trump has made a living out of
branding. He has established for himself a reputation for
producing quality goods. Since his name has been attached to
this perception, he has extended the same to all his products.
Today, people choose his offerings because of the Trump name.
The same principle can be applied online. Brand yourself as an
expert in a certain field and people would go to you whenever
they'll have needs relevant to your specialization. It's the
best advertisement there is: a public perception of your
expertise.
The Internet has taken this a step further with the formulation
of a strategy called viral branding. The trick here is to allow
the spread of your expertise is such a way that the number of
people who would view you as a bankable provider would grow
exponentially.
Contrary to popular belief, this is quite easy to pull off. Here
are some ways to brand yourself and allow the word to spread
like wildfire. Soon enough, your reputation would be synonymous
with excellence.
Write about something you know by heart. Words convey your
expertise, so you better use this avenue well.
Write an e-book, or a special report, or an article even. Make
sure it is informative and helpful for anyone who chances upon
it.
If you don't have the time to write, hire a ghostwriter. There
are a lot of them on the net. Some charge high, while there are
those who have reasonable rates. Find someone you could trust,
and who would be able to present the topic you have in mind in
the most interesting way possible.
If you
have written, or have caused the writing, of an e-book or
a special report, you have to distribute it with enough
incentive for the reader to spread it in his network. Usually, a
quality work would do the trick. But to be sure, give it away
for free, or bundle it with other products. Explicitly state
that the reader can give it away to his friends and family
members. This would make your work go viral.
If you have written, or have caused the writing, of an article,
submit it to as many free articles sites on the web, with your
name and website prominently displayed in the resource box.
Encourage the readers to republish the article for as long as
they maintain the resource box.
Publish your own eZine. An eZine, or electronic magazine, would
be a consistent venue you could use to show your subscribers
your reliable business plan. Encourage them to ask questions,
and answer these queries in your eZine. One person's question
would then become everyone's concern, and broadcasting your
answer to all of them could only reinforce your good reputation.
Provide excellent after purchase service. No matter how good
your product is, the buyer won't remember your name unless you
give him something extra. A good post-purchase service, i.e.
technical support, eligibility for freebies, etc., would assure
you that your clients will remember you instead of merely
remembering the product.
Establish relationships. Treat people well and chances are they
will treat you just as nice. Every online acquaintance is one
person more to your network, and that one person has a separate
network of hundreds more. Having good relationships with the
people you deal with is the best way of getting the word out
that your name means good business.
About the author:
Paul Duxbury runs a number of successful membership sites
alongside his other income generating websites. He has recently
launched http://www.web-success.co.uk which provides free
information on running an online or home based business.
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