Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Many Hands Build the Brand

Many Hands Build the Brand

Do you think there is a corner in the world where you can find a computer user who does not know of IBM? Is there anyone in the world who looks for information on the Web and has never heard of Google? These names are indelibly ingrained in our brains. Did you ever think of why?

Sure, both companies have made their success and are world renown. They have molded a brand name that is synonymous with success. Most experts will tell you that you need experience, excellent service/product, ingenuity, and commitment to become a success. I agree that these are all ingredients in becoming successful, but more help comes from customers than most think.

You need to provide optimal services or products to the public to become popular with them. Most celebrated companies will be happy to be selling services and products and hope that the popularity continues. Your satisfied customers can become your most powerful marketing tool.

It is important to foster a rapport with your customers, regardless of the size of your business. Experts in customer management will tell you that ideally, you want to make the customer-to-business relationship as personal as possible. The dynamic should be comparable to that of a mom and pop shop located in a remote, small town with their second to third generation customers.

How can you inspire this relationship? Listen to your customers. Comprise a customer testimonial page on your Web site. Customer testimonials can be incorporated into newsletters and fliers as well, but it will be seen by most on your Web site.

For most, the customer testimonial page (if there is one) is usually hidden somewhere on the site, accessible through an obscure link somewhere on the bottom of the home page. This is a mistake. Positive customer feedback is just as important as anything on the Web site. Browsers come across testimonials and will relate to the authors. Those who testified were once like them - looking for a provider of goods/services. Good testimonials should be completely overt and conspicuous for all to see. Everyone knows that each business will have positive things to say about themselves through their content, but the customers can give unbiased, objective information. This is what a potential customer wants to see - no inside advertising, just the facts.

Once a business has accumulated and read a large number of testimonials, they can begin to see patterns in responses. What exactly about the products/services is so appealing to the customers? What products/services get the most positive feedback? What (if anything) needs to be improved upon? What separates the company from the competition? Finding the answer to these questions will begin to shape the image of your brand.

Most companies believe that their brand can be chosen by them. They believe that the public at large will accept what they are told. There is too much competition for people to be persuaded into accepting something before they have some proof of its veracity.

Testimonials can aid in building the brand of your business. A "brand" is all about perception and your testimonials is just that - the perception of your customers. Word-of-mouth is the greatest marketing tool imaginable. The irony is it costs the business nothing in advertising costs. The investment comes from having an excellent product/service to provide.

The dynamic of the interaction between a business and its customers is the "brand" essentially. If a business has customers that have positive associations towards the business, this equals the "image" of the business. The image is shared by the existing customers and is to be potentially shared by new customers.

Thus far, it may seem that we have been speaking theoretically, and not about how to come up with a physical brand (logo, slogan).

Working with a graphic designer can ameliorate the process of composing a logo. The logo should originate from the feeling that comes from the customer feedback.

Collect the testimonials and survey them for likenesses. What adjectives are used to describe your business? What analogies or references are made in relation to your business? Is your business prided on speed? Is it prided on efficiency? Is it prided on customer service? Create a symbol based on a conglomeration of the feedback. This will be your logo.

The same process can be used for a slogan. A slogan usually will have something to do with the mission statement or the ideology of the business (Ex: eBay - "The World's Online Marketplace"), but it can be a combination of this and the relationship with the customers (Wegmans - "Everyday You Get Our Best"). It is best to combine the company's mission with what it can provide for its public. The choice is yours, but the latter seems to make more of a connection with the customer.





Many Hands Build the Brand - To learn more about this author, visit Ken Wisnefski's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
Evan Carmichael
I've created this section on my site to share some of the incredible tools that I've used to build my business. I hope you too can benefit from them and look forward to hearing your feedback on the reviews! - Visit Evan Carmichael's Website

John Power
John Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website

Kim Castle
With nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website

Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website

Dianne Crampton

Dianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here.

Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009.  Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010.  To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here.

- Visit Dianne Crampton's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Ken Wisnefski
(Visit Ken's Website) Wisnefski launched Vend orSeek.com in 2002 out of Mt. Laurel, N.J. He spent years in the business industry before formulating plans for his unique business. After spending valuable time locating and evaluating vendors during a project, he became inspired to start a business that delivered qualified vendors to buyers and generated quality leads to vendors. Since its inception, VendorSeek has attracted continued business and success. Their business consists of over 7,000 pre-qualified vendors offering services for over 150 categories. VendorSeek prides itself in providing expert information on business topics. The site's Industry Experts section delivers resourceful intelligence from VendorSeek's knowledgeable staff and their contributing vendors.

Ken Wisnefski is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Ken Wisnefski's

Complete
List Of
Sales
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Ken Wisnefski's Complete List of Sales Articles For FREE!

More Ken Wisnefski
The Right Way to Give Promotions
How to Prepare a Commercial
Improve PayPerClick Performance
Use Video to Promote Sales Growth
How to Teleconference Call Tips
The Ways of Viral Marketing
The Qualities that Hire Leaders
How to Navigate Browsers to your Landing Page
Tips for the Executive Blogger
Blog for your Business
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Kim Castle  
Jay Kubassek  
Linda Richardson  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Article Syndication Icon Article Syndication
Disciplines of Success Icon Disciplines of Success
Employee Engagment Icon Employee Engagment
Leadership Style Assessment Icon Leadership Style Assessment
Auditory, visual preference? Icon Auditory, visual preference?
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
 
Top 50 Blogs For Startups To Watch In 2009
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Kossiwa Eteka Agoe, Togo,
Kossiwa Eteka
Agoe, Togo
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Chris Nguyen, 30+ national clients on $0
Chris Nguyen
30+ national clients on $0
Julie Mitchell, $470k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
Julie Mitchell
$470k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad
Sergey Brin Larry Page, Google
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Tom Peters, In Search Of Excellence
Tom Peters
In Search Of Excellence
Ask Michael Gerber, Reader Questions
Ask Michael Gerber
Reader Questions
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Learn To Influence Your Interactions In Groups
By Dannye Williamsen
     If You Have To Leave A Group, Make The Most Of It!
By Dannye Williamsen
     Shifting Your Perspective
By Dannye Williamsen

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information