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Branding Your Business

Guest post by: Bob Dumouchel

Article Overview: Discussion with CEO Roundtable Group on Branding Your Business

Branding Your Business

Every month I am planning to write an article about one of the subjects discussed in the CEO Roundtable groups. The intent of this is to give readers interested in the program some idea of the types of topics and the conversations they generate within the groups. The meetings are confidential and I am not going to share any details about the conversation or what individual members think about specific items. What I am trying to capture is an essence of what was discussed and some the various and conflicting perspectives. Where it is appropriate, as it is this month, I will give credit to the discussion leader. This month one of the San Luis Obispo Roundtables discussed the topic of Branding and the discussion lead was Dave Cox from Barnett Cox & Associates. Dave is a long time member of this group and an expert in Marketing. The discussion kicked off with a small presentation on the basics of branding but then the conversation became more interesting because what has worked well for some businesses had been let's say more challenging for others.

My observation of this area is that strategies have to change depending on several variables. The size of the company and the size of the market they are trying to create a brand within are clearly a challenge. While a small or mid-sized business can often afford to build a brand in the local market building a national brand challenges all but the biggest businesses. This results in a strategy of either lower frequency broad promotion or isolating niches that you can dominate. It has been my observation over the years that when trying to solve a business problem like branding the business has two assets that typically restrain their plan. Those assets are cash and creativity and it is clear that members agree it is best to spend your creativity before you throw cash at the problem.

One area of general agreement was that a consistent approach to the market is the most likely to win in the long run. Successful brands know what they stand for and they stay true to that messaging over time. It is okay if that evolves over time but general consensus is that you will tire of your brand long before the market will even recognize what it stands for.

Topics for next month include Succession Planning, Compensation & Reviews, Promotion & Advertising, and Employee Incentives.

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Article Tags: Branding, Marketing



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New Small Business Topic - Hello everyone, I'm on the lookout for new topics to add to my site. We just launched a Franchising section and are planning Human Resources section. Do you have any thoughts for a new section? Here's a list of what we currently have: Angel Investors Branding Bank Loans Business Coaching Business Plan Franchises (New) Insurance Legal Marketing Public Relations Sales Small Biz Loans Venture Capital
Del Castienne - International Business and Project Brokers - In addition to the above, Del Castienne is an international brokerage firm specializing in various entrepreneural services. Del Castienne is more than just a brokerage, as we facilitate Private International Venture Capital for Business and Projects from Commodity Speculation Transactions, MBO, MBI, M&A, Bridging Finance, Patents, Branding, JV, Corporate Advisory Services, Business Plan Development, etc.. Del Castienne is linked to 1200 private international Venture Capital consortiums and Funding Syndicates with a funding capacity of $ 115 billion and 5000 international Investment Bankers and Business & Project Brokers. This in itself should provide you with a gateway to the best source of funding in the world. Through Del Castienne any entrepreneur can have up to a potential success rate of 25% (conditions apply) with absolutely no up front costs. Del Castienne charges a maximum of 5% commission which is far below the international standard of 10% - 12% on project value. If you are tired of running back and forth with countless dissappointments, please give us an opportunity to assist you. Our minimum Venture Capital amount is $1 million and we a Commitment Letter can be provided with in 30 days after formalities are in place and your information was received.
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: Direct Mail Postcards - [quote="jvprosperity":2r71nzqq]Kevin, your situation is very common. Get's me wondering if advertisers are just being lazy and "blanket" areas with advertising hoping that some will stick and get people to respond. mathew1 used the word "targeted" alot but I think that's what most advertisers are either not doing or not going deep enough in their targeting. I disagree that direct mail is more important to small business. Yes, it get's done more often within small businesses but that's 'cos of a small budget and them being forced to utilize it to it's fullest. Big Business focus so much more on Branding and Image Management since they have larger budgets but they also do a fair bit of direct mail and other methods.[/quote:2r71nzqq] Hi Andy, I'd say "naive" is a better word. In fact, "blanketing" areas with unwanted solicitation/ads is costly and will only hurt small businesses in the eyes of consumers (who will resent it).
Re: Direct Mail Postcards - [quote="Kevin":k7jhujz8]But how do you prevent people from just throwing out your direct mail as unwanted solicitation? Anytime I get direct mail, I toss it out. I've noticed solicitors using cheap tricks like printing the message in "hand writing" to make the letter seem more personal. Who are they trying to fool?[/quote:k7jhujz8] Kevin, your situation is very common. Get's me wondering if advertisers are just being lazy and "blanket" areas with advertising hoping that some will stick and get people to respond. mathew1 used the word "targeted" alot but I think that's what most advertisers are either not doing or not going deep enough in their targeting. I disagree that direct mail is more important to small business. Yes, it get's done more often within small businesses but that's 'cos of a small budget and them being forced to utilize it to it's fullest. Big Business focus so much more on Branding and Image Management since they have larger budgets but they also do a fair bit of direct mail and other methods.


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