Branding — AimFire Marketing

Your Brand: Does it Need a Refresh?

July 29, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

I have been in the process of redesigning my logo / brand to make it more modern and appealing. It’s been five years and I am ready for a new look.

Old Logo: 2005

New Logo: 2010

I’ve noticed other national brands doing the same thing. Take the old Holiday Inn logo, for example:

There’s nothing wrong with this logo, but they have refreshed it to give it an updated look, while keeping some of the same properties that people associate with the name (the green color and the script logotype):

Another example is Walmart. Although their logo was actually updated in 2008, it has taken a while for it to show up on their store signage and other areas. Here is their old logo:

And their new and improved logo:

Check out this page to see how Walmart’s logo has evolved over the years

Refreshing your website:

Along with my new logo, I plan to re-launch a new website.

Old Website: 2005

I’ll be using the WordPress blogging platform in order to better incorporate my marketing tips articles as blog posts. By the way, WordPress websites are also a great way to boost your search engine optimization results. WordPress is also a good platform that enables you to update your website without a lot of technical knowledge. I am also going to streamline the content and provide some exciting new features and packages for site visitors and my small business customers.

If you haven’t updated your brand or your website in a while, or if you’re having no luck with the search engine game, maybe it’s time for a few tweaks. Let me know how I might be able to serve as a resource for you in that endeavor. It’s not as overwhelming or as costly as it may sound, and could lead to new business and an enhanced image.

To your new brand!

Filed Under: Branding, Search Engine Optimization, Website Development

Where Could you Be…If you Had Worked with Me?

June 29, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Many of you read my marketing articles faithfully (okay, maybe you skim some of them or just look at the pictures). But how many of you ever really knew what it was that I did for my clients?

Well, I am looking to clarify that and do a better job of communicating some of the things that I can do to help you promote your business. Here are some of the activities, products and results I’ve acheived for my Indianapolis area marketing clients thus far:

Marketing Plans: Complete with competitive info, key messaging and recommendations on where to market your business cost-effectively to reach your target audience.

Professionally Designed & Written Websites: Starting with the sales strategy behind it and engaging the visitor with the design and copy.

Top Rankings on Google: Because if you build it, they will not come unless your website is optimized organically for search engines.

Local and National Media Coverage: From trade publications to profile stories in the IBJ and Indianpaolis Star, to features in the Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal, to interviews or features on Inside Indiana Business, Fox morning shows, evening news shows and ABC Evening News.

Brochures, eNewsletters, Blogs, Case Studies, Direct Mail, Social Media posts and even Books. I write on my clients’ behalf, whether that is a blog post, a sales letter or an advertising headline.

How can I help you with your marketing initiatives?

Filed Under: Blogging, Branding, Marketing Plans, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Search Engine Optimization, Website Development

Make an Impact with Promotional Products

October 31, 2009 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Giveaways that Stick Around

According to a new study, “The Effectiveness of Promotional Products as an Advertising Medium” by MarketTools, Inc. (conducted for the Promotional Products Association International), 50 percent of American households reported receiving a promotional product in the last two years. Of those people, a whopping 91% reported that they still had the item, and kept it in their home office, kitchen, bedroom, closet or other room.

Now that’s staying power for your brand!

What a fun and lasting way to leave your mark. What are some ways you can use promotional products?

1. Holiday gift items

2. Thank-yous to customers or vendors for doing business with you

3. Incentives for salespeople, customer referrals or contests

4. Ways to follow up with prospects

5. Trade show giveaways or table sponsor gifts

6. Take-home gifts for open houses or holiday parties

7. Items to leave at the receptionist’s desk for visitors

8. Bring to networking events or one-on-one meetings to pass out

What are some popular ideas for promotional products this season? Some of my favorites:

Stress balls (think bad economy)
Hand sanitizers (think cold and flu season)
USB Storage (think information overload)
Anything “Green”
First Aid Kits
Flashlights or LED lights
Notepads (I love these b/c I like to write)

Let me know if I can connect you with one of my promotional products partners as part of your marketing plan.

Filed Under: Branding, Event Planning, Promotional Products

Are you Thinkin’ Arby’s? Ways to Keep your Name & Brand in Front of your Target Audience

June 14, 2009 By Susan Young

When my eldest daughter, Elaina turned one year old, I took her to the park (where she proceeded to eat sand) and then to Arby’s for lunch (for a roast beef sandwich — couldn’t resist!

Elaina - Age 1

With her kids meal, we asked for a “baby toy” instead of the older kid’s toy. What did we get? Two colored Arby’s teething toys, shaped like the famous Arby’s cowboy hat.

Evelyn - Age 6 Months

Today, those two Arby’s hats are still around, and are my 6-month-old’s favorite chew toys. People have commented when we have been out on how cute they are.

Can you imagine the impact of seeing your brand around town in the hands of your prospects? How can you display your brand effectively and creatively so people in your target audience see it? Whether it’s a logoed golf ball, apparel, teething toy, ballpoint pen or other promotional product, you can get creative with how people see your brand. Here’s how:

1. Think about your ideal target. Get specific. Is it moms? Retirees who live in the suburbs and drive Buick LeSabres?

2. Think about where they shop, play, worship, work out, etc. Write down all of the possibilities.

3. What opportunities for awareness are there? Could you sponsor a golf hole? Giveaway? Workshop? Church bulletin? Cash register receipt? Little League team shirts?

If you get creative, you can expose your brand cost-effectively and to the right audience.

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding, Promotional Products, Target Marketing

Green Marketing Tips: Save the Environment while Promoting your Business

October 7, 2008 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Everyone’s talking about “green” this and “green” that, introducing new products, telling us how we can save on energy costs, recycle more, and save the planet all at the same time. But how can your company get in on the action? I decided to investigate how we could use the green trend to our advantage in the everyday marketing world. Here are some ideas:

1. Use green promotional products: I heard an advertisement on the radio for an Indianapolis-area bank who was giving away canvas shopping bags to new customers who signed up for an account. What a great way to conserve and promote your business! You can bet that shoppers everywhere will start to see the logo of that bank every time those bags are used. Since they’re reusable, that marketing dollar will just keep on giving. What other promotional products can you think of that will offer a similar benefit? How about logoed coffee mugs to replace your clients’ paper coffee cups? Even if you simply give away seed packets with your logo, or use a promotional product made of recycled material, you’re doing your part. I’m sure your local promotional products partner will have other ideas for you to consider.

2. Print on demand rather than ordering printed marketing material: I know local printers on this list will probably hate me for this idea, but why not design your printed pieces so that they can be printed on-demand or in smaller quantities, rather than in large runs? Although it might be more costly to do so, how many times have you ordered 2000 business cards because of the volume discount and then found that your address or phone changed, rendering them all out-of-date? Be wise when it comes to printed materials and think about how many you’ll actually use versus how many will get thrown away from the tradeshow floor to your prospects’ desk.

3. Use recycled paper or materials: For items where you must use paper, try to use the recycled variety. Order your next round of letterhead, business cards or the like on recycled paper. Every little bit helps. And don’t forget to recycle the paper that you do use, when you’re done with it! Check out eco-friendly services such as shredding, document storage and paper and electronics recycling.

4. Tell customers and prospects about your green practices: Use your green methods as a way to differentiate yourself from competitors. Did you switch your company cars to smart cars, or have you instituted an employee ride-share program? Are you donating a portion of each sale to an environmental cause? Did you plant trees near your office complex or participate in a Green event? Tell your customers in your marketing literature, on your website, in your press releases, in your email newsletter or at your trade show. People might be more willing to give their business to a company who cares about the environment, and not simply about taking their dollar.

Green marketing is not only good for your business but it’s also good for the world. It’s easy to be green, so start today!

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing Strategy, Promotional Products

Brand Extension & Amazon.com: What will they think of next?

July 7, 2007 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Remember when Amazon.com used to be just about books?

Apparently, they are launching yet another “brand extension” by offering….groceries. Yes, groceries….more than 22,000 of them. Now, while you’re ordering your favorite beach read, you can go ahead and order the pina colada mix or the picnic food. I guess for the consumer who really doesn’t want to venture out of the house for groceries (with a new baby, I can relate), there is now an alternative to those grocery delivery services. They even have bulk items like you’d see at Sam’s Club or Costco, and the prices are pretty reasonable too on most items. Now, if they figure out a way to ship perishable items, I’m sold…

Filed Under: Branding, Marketing Strategy

Spring Cleaning for your Marketing

April 30, 2007 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Revisit your Marketing Plan for Better Results

So we’re into the fourth month of the year. You had good intentions for your marketing plan and budget this year but somehow your efforts have slipped. Or are some of you thinking — what marketing plan? Never fear. Spring is the time for rebirth and renewal. It’s also the time to revisit your marketing efforts, whether you’ve tackled them yet or are just getting started. So give your marketing strategy a “spring cleaning” by reviewing the following checklist:

1. Your marketing plan and budget. Review your marketing strategy for the year, as well as your marketing investment for the first quarter. Do you need to decrease your budget, spend more wisely or increase it to keep up with demand? It’s important to plan what you’re going to spend throughout the year, as well as the best marketing tactics for the dollar. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money as well as your time and effort. If you find yourself without the time to devote to executing your marketing plan, hire a consultant or internal marketing person to help out, even if it’s just part-time. Or promise to spend 30 minutes a day on marketing your business.

2. Your website. How well is your website performing? Check out your site statistics over the last quarter, or for the past year if it’s been ages since you looked at your web statistics. Where are people finding you? Are they gravitating toward certain pages or exiting on certain pages? Does your site reflect your current company, marketing message and product/service line? Could your website use an updated look? Does it need to be optimized for search engine visibility? Most importantly, is your website properly contributing to your company’s sales goals?

3. Your customer and prospect database. Do you regularly communicate with your prospect and customer base, or do you even know if some of the people on your list are still at that address or phone number? Do you need email addresses for your contacts? Now is the time to consider appending or updating your database. You can hire a company to do this, or you can have administrative staff update the list by making calls or verifying the information online. This will ensure that you aren’t wasting your marketing dollars on people who are no longer working at your prospect’s place of business, and makes your company look more professional. If you need to increase your database, consider a promotional campaign to generate new contacts, or utilize business cards from tradeshows or other networking. If you’re not communicating with your database, consider outsourcing telemarketing efforts, start an eNewsletter or devote an hour a day to prospecting by phone or email.

4. Your brand. Take a look at your existing logo, tagline or even your company name. Is it current and does it adequately represent your brand? If not, maybe now is the time to consider re-branding. Sometimes a new look can make all the difference, and make your company stand out as hip, current and “in the know.” You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a new look, either. Check out some of your competitors’ brands to make sure you are keeping up and that your brand coincides with your position in the marketplace.

5. Your marketing materials. Have you been sending out the same tri-fold brochure or sales sheet for the past five or 10 years? If so, it’s time to take a hard look at your current marketing materials to ensure that you are presenting the right image to prospects. Think about revising both the design and the text to make them more current or simply to offer something new, especially if the materials are not doing the job of converting leads to sales.

6. Your advertisements and promotions. Again, the same here with your advertisements. Are they outdated? Have you been running the same promotional campaigns or coupons again and again? If they are working well, obviously keep doing what you’re doing, but perhaps a few tweaks or tests here and there could make your campaigns even better. If you haven’t been doing advertising or promotions, or you’d like to supplement your existing ads, maybe now is the time to think about how to introduce them or make them better. This goes for both print and online advertising such as pay-per-click advertising.

So wipe the dust off your marketing plan. Maybe your spring cleaning efforts will contribute to a fantastic rest-of-the-year result.

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding, Budget Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Plans, Marketing Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, Website Development

Marketing a Commodity Product or Service: How to Differentiate Yourself

February 7, 2007 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

If your business is presented with the challenge of selling amidst a sea of similar competitors, how do you market your business? How can you stand out as a commodity product or service?

1. Become known for one thing. For example, Steak n Shake is, what? Famous for Steakburgers. Wal-Mart is known for their low prices. What other examples can you think of? What about examples in your particular industry? Try to think about the one benefit that makes you stand out from the rest. Make sure that your competitor cannot claim the same thing, or it’s not a unique differentiator.

2. Brand a phrase or tagline with that differentiator, and put it everywhere! Include this tagline as part of your logo graphic, on your website, business cards, email signature, customer invoices, marketing and advertisements, direct mail campaigns, etc. Do this until your customers and prospects begin to recognize your company for that differentiator.

3. Don’t dilute the marketing message with other offerings. First and foremost, focus on what makes your company unique. Then when people express an interest, you can tell them about the many products or services you offer and sell them in your marketing pieces on the benefits of those things.

4. Don’t over-emphasize price as a differentiator. In a commodity market, it’s easy to be tempted to lower your price in your marketing strategy in order to get the business. But if you truly want to step away from becoming a commodity product or service, the key is to make your company stand out so much from the crowd that people are willing to pay a little extra to get the added benefit from your differentiator.

So remember – focus on what is unique about your company, product or service to stand out from the rest, and soon you and your prospects will look at your company in a whole new light.

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Marketing Message, Marketing Strategy, USP

Would you, Could you, On a Cow? Unusual Advertising Spots

June 7, 2006 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Leave it to online casino GoldenPalace.com (the company that paid $28,000 on eBay for the ‘Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich’) to come up with another original marketing idea: Advertising on Cows! I almost didn’t believe this when I heard it, so I had to go directly to the source. You can check out pictures of the “branded” cows (I couldn’t resist!) here.

That got me thinking: what other unusual (or less traditional) places might it make sense to advertise your business? So I’ve created a list of unique advertising venues and some potential companies that might consider advertising in these places. Here goes:

Places to Advertise | Potential Advertisers

On a cow | herbicide company
On a park bench | bird seed company
On an automobile | car insurance company or auto repair shop
On a temporary tattoo | fitness center; health foods store
On a shopping cart or checkout divider stick | impulse item (gum, batteries) or purchase (dry cleaners, car wash)
Movie theater screen | soft drink; nearby restaurant, coffee shop or retail establishment
Grocery store receipt | local retail shop or restaurant
Back of a baseball ticket | kids sports league; restaurant near the stadium
Hotel key cards | pizza delivery; tourist destination
Bar bathroom stall | alcoholic drink; brand of painkillers
Church bulletin | breakfast or brunch restaurant; Christian bookstore
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Obviously, if companies are advertising on cows and foreheads, the possibilities are endless!

Have you seen any unusual advertising spots lately? Tell me about it! I’ll be happy to add them to this list!

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding, Marketing-Mix, Public Relations, Unusual Advertising

AimFire Marketing