Ricardo González asked:


The power of the brand! A strong brand draws people. A strong brand allows people to trust you much more quickly than a weak or nonexistent brand.

Tres Preguntas (Three Questions.)

1. What do I mean by your brand?

2. What do I mean when I talk about properly branding your company to the Hispanic community?

3. How do you properly brand your company to the Hispanic community?

When you apply the answers to these three questions you can have good people waiting in line to work for you, recruit members more easily, and most certainly, make a lot of money selling products and services to Latinos.

Question No. 1

What is a brand?

Going back to the Old West, you can picture the cattlemen branding their cattle so they could always identify which animals belonged to them.

This is the origin of the term brand. In today’s world, a brand allows you as a businessperson to identify which clients are yours. More important, when a client is properly branded by you, they will identify themselves with you. A brand is not a logo or a logotype or a trademark. A logo is a word or a few words manipulated by a graphic artist who hopefully understands how to work with typography. (By the way, most don’t.) A trademark is the graphic that many times accompanies a logo, like the Nike Swoosh. That trademark is so strong they don’t even need the logo anymore.

A brand is not something you see, it is something you feel. It is, as Marty Neumier, says in his excellent book The Brand Gap, a gut feeling. Your brand is what people feel about you. A strong brand is what people feel about you and your company in their heart and in their gut. A strong brand elicits immediate trust and goodwill. A weak brand makes people think, “Mmm, maybe I should check out some other companies, or maybe it would be better to work for XYZ Co. than your company.

Companies with strong brands do not have to worry about their clients; they worry about how to provide their clients with better products, services and systems. Weak companies with weak brands are constantly looking for new clients and constantly looking for people who want to work with them. It’s called turnover.

Question No. 2

What do I mean when I talk about properly branding your company to the Hispanic community?

When you are properly branded to the Hispanic community, you don’t have turnover. In fact, you will always have the best workers and, very important these days, the best documented workers. Again, branding is how people feel about you; it is an emotion. Coca-Cola’s market cap, for example, presently is $120 billion. Of this value, $70 billion is attributed to the value of the brand, only $50 billion to the actual company products, services and systems.

How much is your brand worth to the Hispanic community? You want people to hear your company name and say, “What I would give to work there, or, if I buy products, I am going to buy them there. I trust them, what a great company.

Question No. 3

How do I properly brand my company to the Hispanic community?

This is the meat and potatoes question. Again, branding is all about trust. It produces a feeling in the soul that says, I can trust this company. It makes people think, “I feel good purchasing here (in person, on the web, on the phone) and I know I don’t need to check around. I can go to work for them with confidence.

The million dollar question is, “How do you get the Latino person to trust you, to see you and your company and immediately feel this sense of security and trust” The answer is simple, always keep your word. Never tell a Latino something and then go back and tell him or her you’re sorry but it just didn’t work out. For the most part, Latinos are fairly skeptical and non-trusting people. Information travels very quickly in the Latino society so do things right the first time. The Latino culture is very viral. Also, you must show a sincere and genuine interest in our people and culture.

I have in front of me several pieces of literature and handbooks that are handed out to Hispanic employees. They are literal translations from English to Spanish. This is not good branding. There are no visuals and the ones that are used are exactly the same as in the English manuals. To make matters worse, I also found several misspellings. This is probably due to having someone in the shop, or a friend, who is “bilingual”, but not a professional translator. This is poor branding and produces the gut feeling that the Latino person may be a necessity in your company, but he or she is not a valued person or client.

You must make adjustments. The Latino culture is different, the people are different, and there is a different way of thinking about information and life in general. Your marketing and branding initiatives should reflect cultural relevance and understanding.

In a nutshell, yes, logos, trademarks, color schemes, company T-shirts and all this good stuff can help with branding, but these things are not the brand. Perhaps they support the brand, but they are not the brand. The brand is the feeling of trust and confidence people feel when they hear the name of your company mentioned. This goes for people who work for you and for your clients. Without either group of people, you and I are out of business! If you don’t do it, then your company will always be worth less than half of what you think it’s worth when you look at your financial reports.

Just take a look at that branding giant, Coca-Cola. In this case, it really is the real thing!



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Naz Daud asked:


Developing a cool business brand isn’t as easy as you would think. You can throw money at some problems, and they’ll get fixed, but branding is different. You have to think outside the box, and be innovative, if you want to build a brand that’ll stick. In this article let us take a peak at businesses that have managed to build the best brands, and the strategies they have used to make their branding happen.

Google

Google’s spent approximately zero dollars on traditional media buying. You won’t see their adverts in the middle of Friends, and nor will you find their adverts in page six of the The New York Times. Google’s growth comes from providing a great service, grassroots support and public relations, and that helps to mould their branding efforts for their business. There are countless other examples of companies that have succeeded without spending a penny on media. Many people would argue that Google’s strong brand comes from having great products and being willing to buck the trend with the way they run their business.

Allen & Company

Allen & Company is an investment bank with less than one hundred staff. They are known for shopping some of the web’s hottest start-ups and getting big bucks for their effort. However, Allen & Co’s approach to branding is slightly different than most. They don’t have a website, they don’t issue press releases and you won’t find their adverts anywhere either.

However, they have an excellent track-record for doing deals, and are often mentioned in the press when associated with the transactions they have participated in. Anyone looking for an investment bank to help them sell their internet business is likely to give Allen & Co a call. Not because they have came across their website, or because they seen their advert, but because they know they’re a player that can get things done. An example of branding yourself as a business that’s too cool to advertise.

Burberry

Burberry is a high-end fashion label with a tartan print that was associated with celebrity and prestigious – at one point at least. The print was worn by celebrities in the public eye, and this in-turn helped to drive mass-market appeal. Their approach to branding was to focus on social proof.

However, as the brand managed to gain more and more market-share, this – for some people – killed the very essence of the brand. It was no longer for the elite. Some would say the success of Burberry has meant the death of the branding they worked hard to build. Others would say that it has catalysed its transformation into an accessible high street business.

Apple

Apple, to some people, is seen as they number two to Microsoft. However, unlike Microsoft, Apple customers are extremely loyal followers who are often willing to pay more to be associated with the brand. Apple prides itself on innovation, and often claims to be the first company to come up with an idea that others will follow. Apple, like Google, prefers to focus on products and in turn their customers and the press do most of their marketing for them. Apple also understands that product design forms an important role in how their business is perceived and exploits this to its full potential.



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Scott Lindsay asked:


Some of the best ideas for web branding defy logic. For instance, if you were to develop an ecommerce site you might well seek to establish your business name as the primary branding feature. What if your business name is less important than you think?

Developing a catchy slogan seems to be an important step in branding? What if your site visitor is mostly interest in what you do or what you have to offer?

In some ways the best ideas for web branding turn the tables of conventional thought and leave the entrepreneur standing on his ‘proverbial’ head.

Would it surprise you to learn that the most common elements prospective customers look for is the immediacy of information that allow them to connect with your site as a provider of their need? Frankly, many of these prospects are interested in your company name only after they determine if you can help them.

By placing the ‘what we do or sell’ before the ‘who are we anyway’ online business may discover visitors will spend more time with the site and that may ultimately result in a satisfied customer.

Look at it this way; I am looking for a company that sells grommets in bulk. The search engine I use tells me there are over 2.5 million sites that have to do with grommets. Now, if an online business that is selling grommets has performed proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques I can be fairly certain some of the best grommet stores are going to be displayed first.

However, if all I find on the opening page is a fancy logo, slogan and a paragraph or two about how the grommet store came into being I may well be tempted to hit the ‘back’ button and continue my search somewhere else.

Most online visitors don’t want to spend a lot of time learning to navigate a new site, especially if it turns out to be a site that does not ultimately meet their needs.

By all means, develop an attractive logo that represents your business well, but let the branding take place in the immediacy of information. If you are able to answer your prospects most basic questions quickly this will likely impact them in a greater way than attractive flash design that supplies little relevant substance.

Branding is always about more than the logo and nothing less than a positive impression.

Does this alter your thinking about how to brand your business? What can you do to take a positive step forward?



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Ontarian Hawkins asked:


Starting a business online can be quite frightening without the proper means to get the word out and get it out quickly. Let’s face it, branding yourself online may be the smartest marketing move you will ever make in the history of your career. Many probably would argue that leading with whatever company you are promoting is the best way to go, however I beg to differ. Leading with a company instead of your true authentic self is the same as selling, and majority of people in this world, especially on the internet don’t like to be sold. So, forget about branding your company and focus on branding you as an individual. People don’t join companies, they join people first and it would only be wise to “pep up” your identity so others will know and trust who you are as a person. Furthermore, here are 3 exciting tips needed to branding yourself along with your business:

1. Identify Yourself–Make sure you have a website or websites with pictures of yourself all over them. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Be authentic. Let people know who you really are so they can better relate to you. Tell people about your history and where you came from, your hobbies, interest, etc. The key here is to just be you. Brand you and not your primary company. A great way to identify yourself online is to start Myspace Page about who you are and not about your business. Make your page stand out to your prospects leaving them no hint of bad vibes about you as a real person.

2. Eye Catching Content–Content is king; I’m sure you heard that before because it’s true. Content controls the central nervous system of your prospects. Relevant content creates action that makes a potential prospect pull out their wallet and join you in your venture. The best way to turn potential prospects off is to try to pitch them on joining your deal. Instead, offer free candy, free information, or free content that they can read. If you are able to trigger at least 3 of the 5 senses of a prospect like hear, touch, and sight with good content that your prospect, you are on the right track. Offer free PDF’s, 800#s, or anything that veers away from selling. One thing I can promise you is when a potential prospect suspects you are trying to pitch them they will run away fast. Don’t forget, you’re in the sharing business, not the selling business.

3. Create Videos–Taking advantage of social media is the “New Sexy” on the internet today. Tons of marketers are setting up their own broadcasting site at YouTube. What a dynamic way to express yourself live and in action than through a television type format. Rest assured, people will relate to you better if you’re talking to them as they will be able to see your sincerity through your facial expressions.

Branding yourself in your company is something most marketers won’t grasp until they realize not many people are following them. In order to have organizational architecture, which means having people follow you no matter what while duplicating your talents, you have to have the skills necessary to brand yourself effectively without pitching your business. Marketing boils down to others coming to trust you because of who you really are.



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Peter George asked:


As the manager of a business, you are constantly looking for ways to improve the many aspects of your company. Of course, there are a myriad of ways to accomplish this. To increase profit margins, you might look to lower product costs, make distribution more efficient, or lower overhead. No matter what you do, however, nothing will be as effective as it should be unless you first establish an effective brand.

What Brand Is

It seems that the term “branding” is being bandied about a lot these days, so before we go any further, let me explain what branding is. While some of you may think of it as the buzzword au jour, others may understand its importance, and yet others may find it utterly confusing.

The single most important thing you can do to increase your profits is to be sure your brand is up-to-date, accurate, and pertinent. Once you have done that, you must promote your brand everyday in everything you do. When it is consistently promoted, it not only builds awareness of your product or service, but it also tells prospects how they can expect to benefit. Remember … anyone who is going to spend money usually wants to know what the purchase will do for them. In fact, 70% of all purchases are made on an emotional level. So for the most part, buyers aren’t concerned about the logical points of the purchase. If they were, the vast majority of us would be driving small, fuel-efficient cars with one-speaker radios.

Think of your brand as a promise … a promise you make to your clients, prospects, employees, and even your vendors. But before you make that promise, be sure you never forget this fact. It is imperative that you are able to back it up. You cannot build a successful, long-term brand on unsupported claims and wishful thinking. History is littered with companies — big and small — that have promoted themselves or their products as something they would like to have lived up to but could not.

To separate you from your competition, your brand — your promise — has to differentiate you from others in the minds of your prospects. This is the reason you cannot use quality, integrity, or price when positioning yourself in your marketplace. So many companies claim to offer these particular characteristics that none of them stand out from the others. BMW has taken note of this. Although it is thought by many to be the best car made, the company has built its brand as “a driving machine.” It sells the experience. BMW knows that there are other high quality cars on the market, so a brand built on quality would be diluted and therefore, less profitable. The same holds true for integrity and honesty. If you claim to be honest, you have set yourself up to be lumped in with everyone else in your industry. (Do you have any competitors who promote themselves as dishonest?) And price … this is a mistake on so many levels. Unless you can beat your competition with low prices and still keep profit margins relatively high, you are on a downward slope. Few companies, one being Wal-Mart, can accomplish this over an extended period of time. Wal-Mart can do this so successfully because it has built a world-class distribution network and has tremendous buying power. Furthermore, if you sell your product or service on price alone, you have to attract new customers all the time. The customers you had yesterday will be looking for someone with an even lower price tomorrow.

It Starts At The Top

A brand must have the support of the top person in the organization. Whether your company employees 100 people or one, the brand will work only if the head of the company believes in it. That person must set the tone of the company, and then manage that tone so everything the company does reflects it. This is important not only outside the company walls but inside as well. Beyond the walls, a strong, unified presence defines a clear message to customers and potential prospects. Inside, it encourages employees to make decisions based on a well-defined direction. When decisions and actions are consistent with that direction, efficiencies — and ultimately profits margins — are greater.

What Branding Is Not

Although you will hear things like new logos, redesigned brochures, or even stepped-up advertising referred to as branding, they are not. Logos, brochures, advertising and other forms of marketing may, in certain instances, be individual components of a branding campaign, but unless they are part of the system of determining a company’s capabilities, direction, opportunities, and indeed its essence, they cannot–and should not–be referred to as branding. To say that a new logo, for instance, is equivalent to a new brand is to believe that I can compete at Daytona International Speedway by slapping decals all over my car. Even if it ends up looking good, it’s still not ready to — or able to — compete.

What this all boils down to is the fact that every business — including yours — has a brand. The question is whether your brand is being determined by outside factors, or if are you actively building it on your terms.



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