Succeeding with social media is simple, right?  Anyone can create a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn page and make instant strides in sales and marketing.  (Cue laugh track…laugh track, go!)  Yes, people actually believe this, and while it would be great if it was true, success with social media just isn’t that simple.  It takes a lot more strategy, creativity and old-fashioned marketing smarts to make it work.  Use it incorrectly, and you can do more damage than good.  Save yourself from creating your own social nightmare by avoiding these business-busting blunders.  You’ll be glad you did. Read the rest of this entry »

Randy, Ellen, Kara, Simon.  Every week millions of TV viewers across America welcome them into their homes for the most popular music show on the tube: American Idol.  But is it really a music show, or is a branding show? Think about it.  Marketers and business owners can learn a lot from the music world, a place where great brands crank out products that make a bundle.  If you sing it they will come?  Not really, unless you’re a brand. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so Kindle has a snazzy commercial series complete with stop-action video that makes you keep watching.  Watching, that is, if you happen to be paying attention to commercials, and who does that anymore?  The spots have music that forces you to glance up from playing Ragdoll Blaster on your iPhone just long enough, to see if The Gap or Target has a new commercial on the air.  But no…it’s Kindle.  The spots are a big step up from their earlier tries which were amateurish and lacked a cool factor, but that’s about it. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know how Apple came to be what it is today? Do you know how it got it’s name? Well, funny story. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were struggling to come up with a name. They had options like “Executek” and “Matrix Electronics,” but those just didn’t feel quite right. Steve Jobs worked on a farm in Oregon part time, came back one weekend and said, “I’ve got a great name. Apple.” The rest is history!

Wozniak and Jobs established Apple in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976. They started out with the Apple I computer in 1976, followed by the Apple II in 1977 and the Apple III in the early 80’s. They went public in December of 1980, and created the most millionaires than any other company in history. They were the first to use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) instead of the standard text interface. But what they’ve been great at doing all along is creating a stand out brand!
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Have you ever gotten the feeling that branding works on you but doesn’t work for you?  Wouldn’t it be great to put a brand message out there, and have people actually respond?  How much better would your life be if you could sell less and get more business just the same?  And what if I told you, you could never work another day in your life and accomplish all this?

I know, you’d probably think you were reading one of those cheesy Internet sales letters, that surprisingly work on many people.  Yes, I am amazed by that fact, too.  But really, what I just described to you is what Heart & Mind® Branding can do for you and your business.  Let me take each topic one at a time so you know I’m being truthful here. Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone can convey information.  And too often people think that’s the purpose of posts, emails, letters, speeches, and conversations.  But oh, communication is so much more than that!  Particularly if you want to win in business and in life. Your personal communications are your brand—both written and verbal, online and offline.  So make them good.

No one does this better than our pet care provider.  Sharon from Peace of Mind Pet Care in Phoenix is the only person I would trust with our three cherished rescue cats and our yellow Labrador Retriever. Why? Because Sharon “is” what she does.  Of course, she provides a great service, but her communications—the little notes she leaves us about our pets—say it all. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder why your marketing doesn’t seem to be doing the job for you?  Have you questioned the amount of money you’re spending in light of the results you are getting?  It could be you’ve fallen victim to the Project Marketing Trap.

The Project Marketing Trap is when a company views every marketing activity as a separate project—not as an integrated strategic business building discipline.  People wonder why marketing doesn’t work for them.  In many cases, this is the reason why.

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There’s a lot of clutter out there.  And there are a lot of competitors vying for the number one spot—the breakthrough spot that makes everyone else in the category also-rans.  Like Starbucks in coffee.  Southwest Airlines in the skies.  And Whole Foods in natural grocers.  Who’s number two in any of those industries?  Who cares.  These are the companies setting the pace and the bar.  They are the breakthrough brands in their categories.

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