brand

Should You Brand Yourself or Your Business?

- Caroll Atkins Leave a comment

Now that start-ups and business owners are realizing the awesome power of having an engaging, informative and helpful brand, there seems to be some confusion as to who or what exactly to brand, themselves or their business. This can be a bit confusing when you are the business, however here are some guidelines that may help you make the best decision.

A personal brand means that you are branding around yourself in a personalized manner. Typically businesses that carry your name are those who would choose to self brand.

A business brand is created to help consumers understand the identity of your business, its promise to them and what it’s benefits are. The business typically is independent from your name.

When it is appropriate for a personal brand

Personal brands are really great if you are a one-person business. The flexibility it offers you is desired especially if you have a few different focuses that you deal with. Also, you may choose to drop a certain focus and add a new one with very little disruption or confusion to the business or to your niche. Actors, speakers, authors, consultants, artists and coaches are all industries that are perfect for utilizing personal branding. Associating your name and face with your various expertise and products is ideal for getting engagement.

However, you should consider some potential drawbacks. Your personal name does not say exactly what you do, so you will have to work hard to associate your name with your services/products. A slogan can help tremendously in this area. Also, using Twitter and social media along with blogging and interviews will help people make the connection. This can be quite a lengthy process before you can achieve this connection.

The one thing I will say should be a strong reason why you should think twice about creating a personal brand is if you do not like the idea of being your own salesperson. You will have to sell and you will have to be good at it. If you are shy and seriously introverted, this may not work for you.

When building a business brand is the best option

The first thing very apparent is you will need a name. And this has to be a good name, no a great name if you want to make an impact that connects well. The name has to connect to your niche, conveying what you do and what you are known for. There may be some trial and error here, to put it bluntly you will have to work! But for most it is exciting work as you ponder what that perfect name will be.

When thinking about your business, you should have a vision and a mission statement that effectively spells out what you want your business to do, how it will do it, when and for whom. You should also do the work to know exactly where you should position your business in the market. In addition, a business brand will benefit tremendously from having a brand message that it can share with potential customers. It will have them quite anxious to experience your brand. Last but not least, all the work you have done to grow your business, allows you the ease of selling it without the potential complication that it carries your personal name.

As with the personal brand, the business brand can have some potential setbacks. Changing what you offer products and/or services and deciding to go in a whole new direction can be a very difficult choice in that you may loose your hard earned niche. All the work you did that correlated with the current products and services will no longer be applicable and that may even include the name. It would probably be best if you just start another business and not many will desire this route nor can afford it.

Here’s my suggestion…

When I get a client that has a business that could potentially be a personal brand even though at the time they may want to establish it as a business brand, I encourage them to do both. I tell them that as they build that business brand, don’t forget to take every opportunity to let their niche know who the owner is behind the brand. Do things like interviews, blogging, social media etc. where they can have a presence promoting a specific focus. For example, if you are building a law partnership practice, you should take the time to promote your own area of expertise in law. Whether it be divorce, corporate, etc. Let consumers know which area you are an expert in and with that all the causes and endeavors that your participate in. This gives the brand added dimension and interest without taking away from its main focus.

In my opinion, if you still cannot decide, this may be the most sensible option for you.

Caroll Atkins, Brand Stylist / Corporate Director
Insta: @CarollAtkinsCreatives / Twitter: @CarollAtkins

Branding Vs. Marketing: What’s the Difference, and Which is Primary

- Caroll Atkins Leave a comment

I continuously get the question, “what is the difference between branding and marketing?” Some believe that they are in fact one in the same. Well, they are in fact quite different with only few similarities, but they are connected. Knowing the difference between branding and marketing is essential, because as a business owner effectively utilizing both of them will help with your brand’s success.

What is branding?

Branding is telling the story of who you are via your imagery, colors, verbal and written content and logo. It is your promise to your client. It is a strategy that you use to inform customers what is unique about you. Having well thought out answers to the items below helps you build trust with your customers one of the hallmarks of branding:

  • Your Mission Statement
  • Brand Positioning Statement
  • Brand Value Proposition
  • Brand Message
  • Brand Voice & Tone
  • Brand Personality

This will also help your consumers know exactly what they can expect of you and what experience they can expect to have. This is the starting point for your marketing efforts.

What is marketing?

Marketing is your efforts to build awareness to your brand. It is essentially the use of various tools to deliver your brand’s message. Unlike your branding, marketing evolves and it also changes. It can be vast and wide and it can be applied to focused sectors of your niche. There are many ways to market:

  • Radio
  • Print Campaigns
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Mobile
  • Television
  • Pay Per Click
  • Content Marketing

To be sure, there are more methods of marketing and these methods will change and more will be added. However, when it comes to branding, that rarely if ever changes.

Branding or Marketing, which is primary?

What you have no doubt come to see is that your branding drives your marketing. It is at the core of your marketing efforts simply because it gives marketing the fodder it needs to create strategy campaigns that show your business’ culture, message, values and core competencies. So, yes branding comes first. Remember, I said that branding is all about defining who you are and you must know who you are before you can effectively market to others. Your branding is what creates loyalty in your consumers and makes them want to keep coming back for more. Any business can market to consumers, they may even have the same products and services you do, however if that consumer loves your brand and the benefits it derives from it, you have created brand equity with them and that keeps them loyal. A marketing campaign does not give your consumers the quality, culture and communication they desire, it is their every interaction with your brand that does that. Your marketing attracts consumers.

In summary…

Your branding is what builds connection with consumers. It makes whatever success you may currently have even bigger. It is your branding principals that consumers point to as their reason for patronizing your brand. Your branding is your “secret sauce” and your marketing is an extension that allows consumers to know that you have a secret sauce and what that entails. Your branding is what makes your business truly unique.

Caroll Atkins, Brand Stylist / Creative Director
Insta: @CarollAtkinsCreatives

Why Brand? What is the benefit?

- Caroll Atkins Leave a comment

Are you still on the fence about whether or not you should invest your time and money in creating a brand? Do you look at major companies out there and think that they can afford to brand because they have the resources to do so. Or, because of their size it is easier for their branding to “catch on” so investing in branding makes it worthwhile. Many tend to think of these reasons or some variation, however this is truly not the case.

Benefits of branding

I can agree that starting a business in today’s market can be daunting because the market is very saturated, but it is not impossible and the tools available today can help you do so much more with so much less. So, if you have decided to push through, this is one of the main reasons you should seek the benefits of creating a brand. Business’ that do well are those who find ways to let the customer know they are special and valued. These businesses also tout their uniqueness and their overwhelming desire to solve their customer’s issues. They have discovered what their “secret sauce” is and realize that getting the word out is highly beneficial to their business. Also, making sure that the market is aware of their brand value and brand message further helps create brand equity with customers.

So, what are some of the major benefits of creating a brand?

Just because you have a business does not mean you have a brand. Brands are created. Building a brand encompasses such things as your logo, color palette, language, imagery, value and ideals. It takes a conscious effort to make sure all these things are in place, consistent and followed. Below are some of the major benefits of creating a brand.

Building customer loyalty – Nothing shows a customer that they are valued and solutions for their needs and issues are actively being worked on like branding. Branding has rules and values that they adhere to. As long as the brand keeps living up to these, their clients will be happy. Knowing what your customer values about you and look to you for, will help your brand stay in touch and increase loyalty.

Easier to launch a new product – with customer loyalty, launching your new products is much easier. While catering to your customer base, you will inevitably be aware when they need new products and/or services. Being focused on them will afford you the ability to grow your product line with products that they will both need and value.

Increase value – with great customer loyalty and the ability to successfully launch new products, you will no doubt increase your company’s value. Customer participation is very valuable to your business, it can make or break it. Not just your tangible assets but, how your customer feels about your business goes into deciding the value of your company. Branding and its wide ranging techniques all work to help build brand equity and increase value.

Allows for higher prices – without the benefits that branding offers chief of which is reliability, quality, and responsiveness a company may find it hard to price their product above what the current market pricing is. It is proven that customers will pay more if they perceive bigger and better value. So, how can you get across that you offer better, more reliable or more unique value if you are not branding?

If these reasons are not enough for you to start working on building an amazing brand, then consider this…market share. As I said before, this saturated market can cause many to sink however good branding, strong branding is the ultimate solution and life saver.

Caroll Atkins
Brand Stylist / Creative Director
Insta: @CarollAtkinsCreatives

5 defining concerns when building a life brand

- Caroll Atkins Leave a comment

Life Branding

2016 the year of individual awareness! Do you agree? I venture to say you probably do. Whether in your personal or business life, if you have not read a “tweet” or have not seen a “status” urging you to live life daringly and authentically then it may be that you are totally “unplugged”.

To go along with this new emerging culture and thought process, are various products, ideology and language terms. Some new some old, but reenergized. Branding and passion are two words that keep coming up in both business and personal circles. Not new words to be sure, but their current usage definitely represents a new way of thinking and living.

Today’s millennial epitomize that thinking. They desire to have, be and do it all. However, above all that they insist on being looked at as individual and unique.

So what of branding? How does that apply to ones life? Well, we know what brands are, however the term branding is fairly new. Branding is a marketing practice that uses names, symbols, colors and specific lingo to create a unique view of a product or service in a consumers mind, therefore attracting and retaining loyal customers. This definition makes it clearer how living a life based on passion helps one promote their own individuality and therefore creating their own personal brand of happiness. Consequently, what one offers is unique, who one is, is unique, and how one thinks is unique. What you choose to do for your life and livelihood based on this mind set is what gives you your own unique life brand and you get to this place via passion!

Why is this important?

 Who needs a life brand?

 Do you have regrets?

Have you stopped dreaming?

In other words, have you learned to bury dreams because you cease to believe that they could come true or worst yet, they don’t matter?

Have you put limits on your happiness?

If any of those questions ring true for you, and the status quo is no longer your desired status consider this. Below are millennial’s top five concerns and how you may adapt them to create your life brand.

  1. Job longevity. Today, we want career satisfaction. Our work must matter to others and to us. We want to make a difference.
  2. Secure retirement. Second phase of life. At 65, no rocking chair on the porch for us. We desire to be active, pursing a hobby or a career we wished we had.
  3. Marry and settle down. Relationship freedom. A relationship does not define nor control our future. We define it.
  4. Bank savings. Invest your money. Bank savings produce minimal yields. Today we are more aggressive with our money. We want brighter futures and increased financial stability.
  5. Purpose and cause defines today’s millennial. Who they support politically to whom they purchase services and products from must have just and fair practices.

A life brand built on passion takes you into consideration. It is doing things in the manner you desire. This way life is more meaningful and purposeful and no longer something to be endured but celebrated. Got an idea or passion and are ready to pursue it? Contact me today!!!

Caroll Atkins
CEO / Brand Stylist  | @CarollAtkins

Donald Trump’s presidency bid, a lesson in effective branding?

- Caroll Atkins 2 Comments

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No matter what we may think about Donald Trump, the one thing that has not gone unnoticed by me is his tireless marketing skills. This guy knows how to command a bounty in media attention. Now politics aside, looking at how Mr. Trump has been able to on almost a daily basis garner some media to cover him and his views as he runs for President of the United States is fascinating. How is he doing it? How is someone who is best known in New York and marginally know elsewhere for his casinos and penchant for putting his name on any and everything he produces, able to garner so much press and attention? Not because he is a novelty, Ben Carson is just as out of the box as he is and does not get as much press.

 

…Mr. Trump’s USP is proposing to give the people what they want.

“Make America great again“, this is Donald Trump’s USP (unique selling proposition). Hearing the American people complain about America’s falling standards as compared to the rest of the world, he saw his opportunity. Using one of the most pivotal principles of business, Mr. Trump’s USP is proposing to give the people what they want.

As a business man, Mr. Trump promotes his products as the best in quality. He fancies himself as a great individual, in fact all that he does and represents he packages as either the best or the greatest. That strategy has obviously worked for him in his business ventures, so it appears that he is adapting it to his bid for the presidency. Americans complain of wanting to return to the good old days. Mr. Trump quickly framed his USP in a manner that promised this, simple and straight forward. Unlike the other candidates who speak and focus on the individual elements of the American economy and culture that need to be improved, Mr. Trump has stuck with this one phrase. While he has not given any tangible information on how he will help to make America great, the public is still on board. Well to be clear, he has not given tangible information on the who, what and when to make it happen either.

What Mr. Trump has done is use his why in a cunning manner. Again, using his marketing skills, he has proceeded to create a need in the public that may not have been there at least not to any great extent. He helped escalate the public’s fear, irrational or latent. He awakened their hate and cultivated their ignorance and propositioned it back to them as being strong and becoming aware. Now, he can now sell them the cure or the fix, and that is to elect him as president a strong, no nonsense, unafraid individual.

Some may argue that Mr. Trump’s message is to build a culture of hope and optimism and bring back greatness to America. It appears all he has really managed to do is to build a brand of hate and fear mongering. The old adage that no publicity is bad publicity is definitely apparent here, at least to the extent it is getting him noticed. The question is, is he getting the kind of brand recognition he wants? Will the culture he has built for his bid for the White House sustain him? Will it bring him the ultimate success? In my opinion this is doubtful. In marketing at some point people stop focusing on the hype and start looking for the plan, the promise, concrete traceable steps of execution. But for the time being I say, well played Mr. Trump, let’s see if you can win the game.

Caroll Atkins
CarollAtkinsCreatives.com

Are you building a brand, or making one up

- Caroll Atkins 4 Comments

CAC_Logo

Your brand is your verbal, visual and written promise to your customers. It sets the stage for what they may expect from the products and services that you offer. It is your opportunity to differentiate your self from your competitors. Your brand is created when who you are and who the public believe you to be as well as what you want to be is clear.

You have a logo, you have a website, you have business cards and you have product, lots of product, with your logo on it. You are advertising on all the social media sites. That’s it! You have built your brand right? Or have you?

Branding today is a critical part of any business, whether small or large, even B2B, having an effective brand strategy will give you a major edge in this increasingly competitive consmer market. Knowing what branding is and what it means is crucial if you want to stand apart from the crowd and command your share of the consumer market. Building a brand is much, much more than just those things. Sure, they are critical elements of your brand, but what is the brand?

Brand
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Your brand is your verbal, visual and written promise to your customers. It sets the stage for what they may expect from the products and services that you offer. It is your opportunity to differentiate your self from your competitors. Your brand is created when who you are and who the public believe you to be as well as what you want to be is clear.

How is your company positioned in the consumer market? Are you innovative, experienced, reliable, a low-cost leader, etc.? To answer this you must know who your target customer is. Once you know this, you can give them what they want and need. Stay away from the trap of trying to be all things to all people. This will muddy your brand and confuse your customer.

Logos, color palette, packaging and your voice in marketing material and advertising are all things that will support your brand. Careful attention should be given to these as well. Building a brand is not so much what you have, but largely how you make your customer feel. If you can make them want something they never thought they had a need for, then your branding is successful.

Caroll Atkins, CEO
Caroll Atkins Creatives