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Branding Voodoo That'll Smoke The Competition

Guest post by: ED ROACH

Article Overview: There are lots of ways that you can approach your brand to make it more effective. Some can be costly, while many are simple and relatively inexpensive. It is the latter that I will outline for you today. They don't take much thought or effort but can impact your brand in a big way.

Branding Voodoo That'll Smoke The Competition

There are lots of ways that you can approach your brand to make it more effective. Some can be costly, while many are simple and relatively inexpensive. It is the latter that I will outline for you today. They don't take much thought or effort but can impact your brand in a big way.

1) Sponsor a local adolescent sports team.

This is not so much to get your logo on a jersey but it is part of giving back to the community. Volunteerism speaks to your brand values. Not to mention that many of the organizers are also leading members of the business community.

2) Join local networking groups.

Don't just join groups and wait your turn to say your elevator speech, but take an active role. Join committees, offer your assistance where ever you see an opening. People are impressed by go getters.

3) Write a short eBook.

You are an expert in your field. Take that valuable knowledge and apply it to a subject your potential customers might find compelling. Offer it up on your website or blog for free. Doing this puts you on the path to building a niche group to sell to.

4) Consistency of image.

Make sure that all your materials have the same brand image. Any deviation only causes confusion among your audience. I go to great lengths to be sure I stay on track with my brand, so should you.

5) Do you have a new product or service that needs attention?

Do a press release and spread the word in the media. Any pick-up is free advertising for you.

6) Do a color analysis of the competition.

See what colors the competition is doing and choose a color they are NOT using to own that color and differentiate yourself. Of course this is great if you're willing to re-do your brand image. If not, look at the attitude or tone of their messages and differentiate based on that observation.

7) Go on blogs that your audience is on and purposely leave constructive comments.

These comments will lead customers back to you. This is a great way to get the conversation started. It also works the same way in Linkedin groups, Facebook and Twitter.

8) Track your online visitors.

Be sure that your websites and blogs have analytic code installed so that you can see what keywords people use to find you. Use those keywords as the basis of links back to you rather than your company name.

9) Record podcasts/videos.

They don't have to be super professional, just decent so as not to cast any negativity on your brand. A/V adds a distinct tone to your online content and positions you nicely. It helps add a personality to your brand.

10) Lead don't follow.

How can you lead in your category? Determine a way to take the high ground from your competition. In Branding Voodoo, you MUST have the bigger pins, anything less is just doodoo.

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Article Tags: advertising agency, brand consultants, brand management, branding experts, business coaching, business directory, coaching executive, personal brand, personal branding, start business, starting business



Related Forum Posts
Re: Congratultations to GT! - Hi GT, Competition is great and i know I wouldn't be here without it, but it is not the main reason for posting and participating. But I admit, it is the trigger I need to get some work done. If there is none, i create one for myself and try to make it. First prize is ice cream.
Re: What is your Business? - We are running a Online Marketing Firm and we have some good clients to which we are offering a complete Digital Marketing strategy like Search, Mobile Marketing, Branding and Design. I think in Online Marketing company online presence can be a wining factor for the success of the company.
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
Re: Is Google Search getting better or worse? - Competition and that too stiff is something I have always loved and being a true web user I hate spammers the same way and so I am very happy with the recent changes that Google has made and so I must say that it is getting better. I am happy because now we could be able to get and read fresh and unique content instead of the repetitive ones. Now the value of actual SEO will be seen as results now will be completely depend on the hard work SEO and strategies an internet marketing company will apply to get on top of search giant's ranking. surfing the web daily as addiction I have seen most of the webmasters asking several questions related to real time search and how they should commence now to get better and faster results, found lots of useful information and learned new strategies too.
Re: What Keyword research methods do you use? - Hi GT, Good post, I also typically use the Google Adwords keyword tool for no other reason than I have always used it. If other members have a better one they can recommend then please join the post. I have also found the Stealth Keyword Competition Analyzer extremely useful for selecting the most effective keywords to use. Back to Google, if they are main website keywords then I am looking for fairly large monthly global ‘exact’ searches but if it is just for extra weekly content then I am quite happy to run an article optimised with a long tail keyword phrase that may only have a monthly search of 200-300 because I know I have a better chance of ranking highly for that keyword phrase. regards, Mal.


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