"Team Work Makes The Dream Work" is a phrase that my latest friend online likes to extol to his viewers. His name is Tim G., and man oh man what a giving individual!
Tim spends his time helping others to achieve their dreams of online success with the use of many quality programs that are known for cutting through the bull out there. Yes, it is possible still to make a living online despite how hard it can seem to do so sometimes! Tim also encourages others to achieve online success by way of his radio show online.
When it comes to branding, there are many ways to do it. Although Tim does not have a brand per say, you can look at his style of branding in the form of slogans. Tim's most famous slogan is mentioned above and worthy of a re-mention; "Team Work Makes The Dream Work"!
It is this kind of unselfish and giving spirit that makes Tim G. an example for all to follow.
Read more about Tim G. At The SlingAd Network
About the author:
John Williams is the founder of Williams Money Group and Co-Creator of the SlingAd Network
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Internet Branding by: H. Vanoy Barton / Williams Money Group
In the beginning there was traffic. It was easy to come by in 1993. Publish a web site and the entire web world would know about it and visit within a month. In fact in the days of yore one could visit every site on the Web. I know. I've done it several times.
And the offline saw that traffic was good and they came - by the millions. Thereafter publish a web site and you would be lucky to have any hits other than your own development hits within a month. And the people knew that traffic was good, yet they had little, or none. Challenge spawns opportunity. Hence directories and search engines arose and the people rejoiced for the millions could now be found. And so the first iteration of the Web passed and the found and the lost were as one - eventually indexed.
Commerce and competition arose, as it always does with every technological advance, business models decried the wild west confusion of the web and mandated order and profit. And the traffic remained good yet the people lamented because the ecumenical nature of traffic was replaced by the bought and the paid for. And the major brands rejoiced for the traffic was good and it could be bought, tamed and redirected. Yet, throughout it all the pioneers and the foolhardy and the diligent and the brave remained steadfast, for they had become digital in their outlook and on was the state of the Web. The traffic increased, though not for all. Traffic is the river that always flows. And so the second iteration of the Web passed and the lost were further still and the found paid with money or arduous labor.
And the third iteration dawned and Google became the word bandied throughout the land. The clouds thickened for many and cleared for some, a new term arose in the digital land, although long a staple in the of the analog. The term is brand and the nature of it will continue with the next episode.
Sponsored by SlingAd Network
--------------------------------------
copyright 2005 H. Vanoy Barton. You are free to utilize this article on your website or ezine as long as no changes are made to article, author byline is included and the following live link is included:
Article courtesy of This Is Info http://www.thisisinfo.com
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
And the offline saw that traffic was good and they came - by the millions. Thereafter publish a web site and you would be lucky to have any hits other than your own development hits within a month. And the people knew that traffic was good, yet they had little, or none. Challenge spawns opportunity. Hence directories and search engines arose and the people rejoiced for the millions could now be found. And so the first iteration of the Web passed and the found and the lost were as one - eventually indexed.
Commerce and competition arose, as it always does with every technological advance, business models decried the wild west confusion of the web and mandated order and profit. And the traffic remained good yet the people lamented because the ecumenical nature of traffic was replaced by the bought and the paid for. And the major brands rejoiced for the traffic was good and it could be bought, tamed and redirected. Yet, throughout it all the pioneers and the foolhardy and the diligent and the brave remained steadfast, for they had become digital in their outlook and on was the state of the Web. The traffic increased, though not for all. Traffic is the river that always flows. And so the second iteration of the Web passed and the lost were further still and the found paid with money or arduous labor.
And the third iteration dawned and Google became the word bandied throughout the land. The clouds thickened for many and cleared for some, a new term arose in the digital land, although long a staple in the of the analog. The term is brand and the nature of it will continue with the next episode.
Sponsored by SlingAd Network
--------------------------------------
copyright 2005 H. Vanoy Barton. You are free to utilize this article on your website or ezine as long as no changes are made to article, author byline is included and the following live link is included:
Article courtesy of This Is Info http://www.thisisinfo.com
About the Author
H. Vanoy Barton, a fifteen year veteran of the Internet is founder of This Is Info.
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Stop Branding Your Products and Start Branding Yourself! by: Wild Bill Montgomery / Williams Money Group
Branding has power. Real power. A power that you can
measure. But for those of us who have the dream of
creating our own Internet Empire from our home cubicle
or kitchen table, the Real Branding Power comes not
from branding your business or product, but from
Branding Yourself! Branding "You" (a phrase borrowed
from Rick Beneteau) is a power that you can't afford
not to understand and use.
"Branding Yourself" is the application of certain
techniques which will help you gain popularity on the
Internet by making yourself well known, maybe as an
Expert in your field. When people recognize you as an
expert you will gain popularity by means of more free
publicity than you can imagine. Picture seeing an
article written mentioning your name as an authority on
Marketing or mentioning you for nothing more than
quoting something you said. The point I'm trying to
make is that you are seen as an Authority or better
put, a "Personality". Now, try to fathom thousands or
even hundreds of thousands of people seeing you in the
same light. This is what successful Self-Branding is
all about. You don't need to necessarily be an expert.
You just need to be seen, heard and talked about.
How do you Brand Yourself? There are many techniques
and methods, but it can be as simple as a hidden
personality trait, a nickname (maybe something like
"Wild Bill"), or helping others by consultation or
assistance. You must look for ways to literally become
a Celebrity in the eyes of the world or at least a
small, select part of it. It could be by getting your
name known as the "guy/gal who had the answer or made
the comment". Is that all there is to it? Of course
not.
The one thing I am slowly and surely learning about
marketing on the Internet is that you have to build a
name for yourself before people will trust you and
trust your products. Trust is a big issue on the
Internet. Can you blame people? The Internet is overrun
with rip-offs and fast-talking scam artists. Their
whole existence is centered on the sole pursuit of
relieving you of your money for a product with lots of
promise and no result.
I recently purchased a book by Rick Beneteau, called
"Branding You and Breaking the Bank". Now you might
think that Rick had some kind of big money backing him.
"Sure", you say, "that's the only way to get into the
big time". Well, let me tell you Rick started out a few
years ago from the very bottom. The one thing that he
understood that many of us don't, is that you must
Brand Yourself, whether it's as an expert in marketing
or the guy next door who'll help you out with a
problem. But, one thing is for sure; Rick knows how to
do it. Would you like to learn more about Personal
Branding and how to get your name known and respected?
Learn how to get thousands of dollars worth the free
advertising?
Is this a recommendation for a product? I have to say,
without a doubt "YES"! But I am so thrown back by this
book, that I simply had to write an article around it.
Many of you may have read some of my articles, and I
know that some of you read them religiously (thank you
very much). Those of you that do, know that I do not
write articles supporting products in this manner. I
may have mentioned a product in the process, that's
part of the Biz. But, I cannot stress enough the
importance of "Personal Branding". I wholeheartedly
support and recommend Rick's Book, "Branding You and
Breaking the Bank".
This Powerful new book puts YOU on the fast track to
becoming an Internet Celebrity. Not only does Rick
teach you step-by-step how he did it; he also asked
many of the top Internet personalities to share their
success secrets with you. If you're at all serious
about achieving success on the Internet, you need to
start Branding YOU and Breaking the Bank!
Do yourself a favor. Check It Out!
I'll be e-Seeing you Soon
Sponsored by SlingAd Network
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
measure. But for those of us who have the dream of
creating our own Internet Empire from our home cubicle
or kitchen table, the Real Branding Power comes not
from branding your business or product, but from
Branding Yourself! Branding "You" (a phrase borrowed
from Rick Beneteau) is a power that you can't afford
not to understand and use.
"Branding Yourself" is the application of certain
techniques which will help you gain popularity on the
Internet by making yourself well known, maybe as an
Expert in your field. When people recognize you as an
expert you will gain popularity by means of more free
publicity than you can imagine. Picture seeing an
article written mentioning your name as an authority on
Marketing or mentioning you for nothing more than
quoting something you said. The point I'm trying to
make is that you are seen as an Authority or better
put, a "Personality". Now, try to fathom thousands or
even hundreds of thousands of people seeing you in the
same light. This is what successful Self-Branding is
all about. You don't need to necessarily be an expert.
You just need to be seen, heard and talked about.
How do you Brand Yourself? There are many techniques
and methods, but it can be as simple as a hidden
personality trait, a nickname (maybe something like
"Wild Bill"), or helping others by consultation or
assistance. You must look for ways to literally become
a Celebrity in the eyes of the world or at least a
small, select part of it. It could be by getting your
name known as the "guy/gal who had the answer or made
the comment". Is that all there is to it? Of course
not.
The one thing I am slowly and surely learning about
marketing on the Internet is that you have to build a
name for yourself before people will trust you and
trust your products. Trust is a big issue on the
Internet. Can you blame people? The Internet is overrun
with rip-offs and fast-talking scam artists. Their
whole existence is centered on the sole pursuit of
relieving you of your money for a product with lots of
promise and no result.
I recently purchased a book by Rick Beneteau, called
"Branding You and Breaking the Bank". Now you might
think that Rick had some kind of big money backing him.
"Sure", you say, "that's the only way to get into the
big time". Well, let me tell you Rick started out a few
years ago from the very bottom. The one thing that he
understood that many of us don't, is that you must
Brand Yourself, whether it's as an expert in marketing
or the guy next door who'll help you out with a
problem. But, one thing is for sure; Rick knows how to
do it. Would you like to learn more about Personal
Branding and how to get your name known and respected?
Learn how to get thousands of dollars worth the free
advertising?
Is this a recommendation for a product? I have to say,
without a doubt "YES"! But I am so thrown back by this
book, that I simply had to write an article around it.
Many of you may have read some of my articles, and I
know that some of you read them religiously (thank you
very much). Those of you that do, know that I do not
write articles supporting products in this manner. I
may have mentioned a product in the process, that's
part of the Biz. But, I cannot stress enough the
importance of "Personal Branding". I wholeheartedly
support and recommend Rick's Book, "Branding You and
Breaking the Bank".
This Powerful new book puts YOU on the fast track to
becoming an Internet Celebrity. Not only does Rick
teach you step-by-step how he did it; he also asked
many of the top Internet personalities to share their
success secrets with you. If you're at all serious
about achieving success on the Internet, you need to
start Branding YOU and Breaking the Bank!
Do yourself a favor. Check It Out!
I'll be e-Seeing you Soon
Sponsored by SlingAd Network
About the Author
Wild Bill Montgomery
Home of the "InfoZone" Business and
Marketing Article Archives!
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
Monday, October 13, 2008
Nation Branding and Place Marketing - The Place by: Sam Vaknin / Williams Money Group
Some countries are geographically disadvantaged. Recent studies have demonstrated how being landlocked or having a tropical climate carry a hefty price tag in terms of reduced economic growth. These unfavorable circumstances can be described as "natural discounts" to a country's price.
What can be done to overcome such negative factor endowments?
In classical microeconomics, the element of "place" in the marketing plan used to refer to the locus of delivery of the product or service. Well into the 19th century, the "place" was identical to the region where the product was manufactured or the service rendered. In other words, textiles weaved in India were rarely sold in Britain. American accountants were unlikely to practice in Russia. Distribution was a local affair and networks of dissemination and marketing were geographically confined.
A host of historical and technological developments drastically altered the scene and frayed the straitjacket of geography.
The violent disintegration of the old system of geopolitical alliances led to the formation of massive, multiplayer trading blocs within which and among which the movement of goods and, increasingly, services is friction-free.
The vast increase in the world's population - matched by the exponential rise in purchasing power - created a global marketplace of unprecedented wealth and a corresponding hunger for goods and services. The triumph of liberal capitalism compounded this beneficial effect.
The advent of mass media, mass transport, and mass communications reduced transaction costs and barriers to entry. The world shrank to become a veritable "global village".
The value of knowledge (processed information) has fast risen to surpass that of classical (physical) goods and services. Information has some of the properties of a public good (for instance, nonrivalry) - coupled with all the incentives of a private good (e.g., profit-making).
Thus, the very nature of distribution had been irrevocably changed. The distribution channel, the path from producer to consumer (in our case, from country to foreign investor or tourist, for example) is less encumbered by topography than it used to be.
Even the poorest, most remote, landlocked, arid, and disadvantaged country can nowadays leverage air flight, the Internet, television, cell phones, and other miracles of technology to promote itself and its unique offerings (knowledge, plant and animal species, scenery, history, minerals, cheap and educated manpower, cuisine, textiles, software, and so on).
The key to success is in a mix of both direct and indirect marketing. Nowadays, countries can (and do) appeal directly to consumers (ads targeted at tourists or road shows aimed at investors). They present themselves and what they have to offer, circumventing brokers and agents of all kinds (disintermediation). Still, they should not fail to cultivate more traditional marketing channels such as investment banks, travel agents, multilateral organizations, or trade associations.
With many of the physical obstacles to marketing removed in the last few decades, with the very concept of "place" rendered obsolete, promotion emerged as the most critical facet of nation branding and place marketing.
Sponsored by SlingAd Network
What can be done to overcome such negative factor endowments?
In classical microeconomics, the element of "place" in the marketing plan used to refer to the locus of delivery of the product or service. Well into the 19th century, the "place" was identical to the region where the product was manufactured or the service rendered. In other words, textiles weaved in India were rarely sold in Britain. American accountants were unlikely to practice in Russia. Distribution was a local affair and networks of dissemination and marketing were geographically confined.
A host of historical and technological developments drastically altered the scene and frayed the straitjacket of geography.
The violent disintegration of the old system of geopolitical alliances led to the formation of massive, multiplayer trading blocs within which and among which the movement of goods and, increasingly, services is friction-free.
The vast increase in the world's population - matched by the exponential rise in purchasing power - created a global marketplace of unprecedented wealth and a corresponding hunger for goods and services. The triumph of liberal capitalism compounded this beneficial effect.
The advent of mass media, mass transport, and mass communications reduced transaction costs and barriers to entry. The world shrank to become a veritable "global village".
The value of knowledge (processed information) has fast risen to surpass that of classical (physical) goods and services. Information has some of the properties of a public good (for instance, nonrivalry) - coupled with all the incentives of a private good (e.g., profit-making).
Thus, the very nature of distribution had been irrevocably changed. The distribution channel, the path from producer to consumer (in our case, from country to foreign investor or tourist, for example) is less encumbered by topography than it used to be.
Even the poorest, most remote, landlocked, arid, and disadvantaged country can nowadays leverage air flight, the Internet, television, cell phones, and other miracles of technology to promote itself and its unique offerings (knowledge, plant and animal species, scenery, history, minerals, cheap and educated manpower, cuisine, textiles, software, and so on).
The key to success is in a mix of both direct and indirect marketing. Nowadays, countries can (and do) appeal directly to consumers (ads targeted at tourists or road shows aimed at investors). They present themselves and what they have to offer, circumventing brokers and agents of all kinds (disintermediation). Still, they should not fail to cultivate more traditional marketing channels such as investment banks, travel agents, multilateral organizations, or trade associations.
With many of the physical obstacles to marketing removed in the last few decades, with the very concept of "place" rendered obsolete, promotion emerged as the most critical facet of nation branding and place marketing.
Sponsored by SlingAd Network
About the Author
Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , and Bellaonline, and as a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent. He is the the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Branding, control and results - Submit Articles in Your Own by: Andy Beard / Williams Money Group
Article distribution is currently booming on the internet. Authors do it for a number of reasons.
- It is a good way to be picked up by the search engines.
- The backlinks from your resource box can help your search engine position.
- You have the possibility of secondary traffic if your article is picked up by a popular website or ezine.
Various products and services have become available that help you distribute your articles to the 100s of article directories and mailing lists.
a) Software that speeds up maunal submission, or can in some cases do this automatically. b) Services that distribute articles in your name c) Services that distribute articles on your behalf, but in their own name.
The Double Edged Sword
Many people pay a premium rate for article distribution on their behalf, without the worry of having to join various article directory sites as a member, giving their own email address, and receiving lots of emails from various Yahoo groups.
Unfortunately what they don't realise is that often this devalues their work.
1) In the author section on many sites, the name of the distribution service will be shown, not that of the original author.
2) Author sections of many article directories are a unique marketing venue. Many visitors will visit the author profile before reading an article all the way to the bottom. Most profiles could have one or more websites listed.
3) Within RSS feeds from the article directories, the distribution service might be shown in the byline, not the original author.
4) Many article directories allow an author to change or modify their resource box. If an article was submitted using an account owned by a 3rd party distribution service, that avenue will be closed.
Complete Control
For authors who want complete control of their branding, either submit manually, or use article submission software. You will receive more emails, but can always have a special email address for this purpose. Googles Gmail service I find is an excellent choice. Article Announcer and Article Submitter Pro are two examples of such software.
Limited Control
Use an automated submission service that ensures you are the author. There are services that signup for members to directories on your behalf, using a username and password of your choice. One such service is Article Marketer.
The Inconvenience
You will have to confirm your membership to many distribution points, and some will continue to send emails containing articles from other people. Yahoo groups normally allow you to select a digest mode, or to not receive emailed articles at all. Most of this is a one time effort, although you will have to be on the lookout for important messages on the email account you use.
The Massive Gain
They are your articles, and you should gain maximum benefit from them.
Using article distribution is much like a varient of Pareto's 80/20 rule. You potentially gain 80% effective results compared to manual distribution, for 20% of the work.
However if your method of article distribution doesn't give you all the possible credit for your articles, rather than 80% effectiveness, you might only be getting 60% or less.
Managing your own article distribution with tools such as Article Announcer or Article Submitter Pro gives you complete control to achieve your 80/20 goals. A service such as Article Marketer which gives you full credit, and reasonable control, might be 70% effective, for 10% of the work.
Refining your processes, and only using the most effective method where it benefits you the most, you can maximise your return for the work invested.
I use a combination of service and software for my own distribution.
Sponsored in part by SlingAd Network
About the author:
Andy Beard has worked in Sales, Marketing and Localization for the last 15 years, primarily in the computer games industry.
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
- It is a good way to be picked up by the search engines.
- The backlinks from your resource box can help your search engine position.
- You have the possibility of secondary traffic if your article is picked up by a popular website or ezine.
Various products and services have become available that help you distribute your articles to the 100s of article directories and mailing lists.
a) Software that speeds up maunal submission, or can in some cases do this automatically. b) Services that distribute articles in your name c) Services that distribute articles on your behalf, but in their own name.
The Double Edged Sword
Many people pay a premium rate for article distribution on their behalf, without the worry of having to join various article directory sites as a member, giving their own email address, and receiving lots of emails from various Yahoo groups.
Unfortunately what they don't realise is that often this devalues their work.
1) In the author section on many sites, the name of the distribution service will be shown, not that of the original author.
2) Author sections of many article directories are a unique marketing venue. Many visitors will visit the author profile before reading an article all the way to the bottom. Most profiles could have one or more websites listed.
3) Within RSS feeds from the article directories, the distribution service might be shown in the byline, not the original author.
4) Many article directories allow an author to change or modify their resource box. If an article was submitted using an account owned by a 3rd party distribution service, that avenue will be closed.
Complete Control
For authors who want complete control of their branding, either submit manually, or use article submission software. You will receive more emails, but can always have a special email address for this purpose. Googles Gmail service I find is an excellent choice. Article Announcer and Article Submitter Pro are two examples of such software.
Limited Control
Use an automated submission service that ensures you are the author. There are services that signup for members to directories on your behalf, using a username and password of your choice. One such service is Article Marketer.
The Inconvenience
You will have to confirm your membership to many distribution points, and some will continue to send emails containing articles from other people. Yahoo groups normally allow you to select a digest mode, or to not receive emailed articles at all. Most of this is a one time effort, although you will have to be on the lookout for important messages on the email account you use.
The Massive Gain
They are your articles, and you should gain maximum benefit from them.
Using article distribution is much like a varient of Pareto's 80/20 rule. You potentially gain 80% effective results compared to manual distribution, for 20% of the work.
However if your method of article distribution doesn't give you all the possible credit for your articles, rather than 80% effectiveness, you might only be getting 60% or less.
Managing your own article distribution with tools such as Article Announcer or Article Submitter Pro gives you complete control to achieve your 80/20 goals. A service such as Article Marketer which gives you full credit, and reasonable control, might be 70% effective, for 10% of the work.
Refining your processes, and only using the most effective method where it benefits you the most, you can maximise your return for the work invested.
I use a combination of service and software for my own distribution.
Sponsored in part by SlingAd Network
About the author:
Andy Beard has worked in Sales, Marketing and Localization for the last 15 years, primarily in the computer games industry.
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
Friday, October 10, 2008
Magnetic Branding - How to Attract vs. Acquire Customers by: Phillip Davis / Williams Money Group
What makes a company brand magnetic -- one that seems to effortlessly attract customers, revenue, media attention and employees alike? It only requires a look at nature itself to discover the answers. Invisible forces such as magnetism and gravity have a constant influence on our lives. They govern us without our awareness of their presence. Their enegies are not overt and go largely unnoticed, yet they govern so much of what we do.
Just as in science, magnetic companies and brands are ones that are aligned and “pulling” in the same direction. Magnetism works when electrons are charged and line up in the same direction. In much the same way, when businesses are charged behind a unified and coherent message, employees and customers alike will begin to align themselves to that vision. The target customer is no longer a “target”, since they begin to find you. The emphasis slowly shifts from atrificially capturing customers to naturally attracting them.
Magnetism then comes from a distilled and powerful sense of purpose. This purpose revirberates throughout the organization and intuitvely instructs the organization’s members to act and behave in ways that promote this vision. The cost of top down driven, internal messaging is greatly reduced. The process becomes more natural, more fluid and instinctive.
So is this purpose the same as a mission statement or brand strategy?
Yes and no. Most mission statements are written in boardrooms and sit in nice plaques on the walls. Purpose is something that comes from the heart, and it needs to come from the heart of top management. Again, this is about alignment, and if top management is all about maximizing the bottom line, it cannot create a magnetic company whose mission statement expounds the virtues of altruistic, self sacrificing service. It just won’t vibrate, resonate and ultimately attract the desired customer. So you can also say magnetic companies are genuine in nature. Their values are consistant at all levels of the organization. Profit then becomes a natural byproduct of doing what the company believes in, whether it’s delivering on price, quality or service.
How does a company find its purpose? It’s already there, waiting to be acknowledged and promoted. For example, many owners I’ve dealt with felt passionate about their quality, but also felt compelled and pressured to compete based on price. They are brainwashed by their sales force or other outside influences to believe they can only compete by selling for less. When these company presidents/owners begin to realize there is an audience that doesn’t buy on price alone, they become emboldend and that energy translates throughout the company- enegizing everyone. Soon “the talk” is about product quality and innovatioins, new customers appear and old (time consuming, complaining, incongruent) ones begin to leave. The company, the brand, the image, begin to align and “pull” in a quiet but powerful way.
An Optometrist came to me years ago, desparte to create an image of speedy service, to combat the one hour vision centers that were devouring the market. When I asked him how long it took him to provide the service, his reply was “one week, but I think I can get it down to three days”. Someone looking for glasses in one hour is not going to be thrilled with waiting three days. So I designed a campaign with a headline that read “We take time.” It went on to extoll the vital role of vison in our lives and why it’s important to wait to make sure an eyeglass prescription is done right by a professional. The doctor felt I had completely missed his point, but he trusted my judgement and ran the campaign. The phone began to ring and one lady said “I haven’t had my prescription filled because I was waiting to find someone who took more than one hour to ‘grind’ my glasses”. He has run the ad for over 15 years and “taking the time” has now become his position in the market. His revenue, share and bottom line all increased when he became comfortable and congruent with who he was and what he did best- regardless of the market.
Transforming a company or brand from mediocre to magnetic requires refocusing on the passion that created it and aligning all else around it. Rather than chasing the market, the market will find you. And that makes work, and life in general, much more attractive.
Brand Example Here - SlingAd Network
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
Just as in science, magnetic companies and brands are ones that are aligned and “pulling” in the same direction. Magnetism works when electrons are charged and line up in the same direction. In much the same way, when businesses are charged behind a unified and coherent message, employees and customers alike will begin to align themselves to that vision. The target customer is no longer a “target”, since they begin to find you. The emphasis slowly shifts from atrificially capturing customers to naturally attracting them.
Magnetism then comes from a distilled and powerful sense of purpose. This purpose revirberates throughout the organization and intuitvely instructs the organization’s members to act and behave in ways that promote this vision. The cost of top down driven, internal messaging is greatly reduced. The process becomes more natural, more fluid and instinctive.
So is this purpose the same as a mission statement or brand strategy?
Yes and no. Most mission statements are written in boardrooms and sit in nice plaques on the walls. Purpose is something that comes from the heart, and it needs to come from the heart of top management. Again, this is about alignment, and if top management is all about maximizing the bottom line, it cannot create a magnetic company whose mission statement expounds the virtues of altruistic, self sacrificing service. It just won’t vibrate, resonate and ultimately attract the desired customer. So you can also say magnetic companies are genuine in nature. Their values are consistant at all levels of the organization. Profit then becomes a natural byproduct of doing what the company believes in, whether it’s delivering on price, quality or service.
How does a company find its purpose? It’s already there, waiting to be acknowledged and promoted. For example, many owners I’ve dealt with felt passionate about their quality, but also felt compelled and pressured to compete based on price. They are brainwashed by their sales force or other outside influences to believe they can only compete by selling for less. When these company presidents/owners begin to realize there is an audience that doesn’t buy on price alone, they become emboldend and that energy translates throughout the company- enegizing everyone. Soon “the talk” is about product quality and innovatioins, new customers appear and old (time consuming, complaining, incongruent) ones begin to leave. The company, the brand, the image, begin to align and “pull” in a quiet but powerful way.
An Optometrist came to me years ago, desparte to create an image of speedy service, to combat the one hour vision centers that were devouring the market. When I asked him how long it took him to provide the service, his reply was “one week, but I think I can get it down to three days”. Someone looking for glasses in one hour is not going to be thrilled with waiting three days. So I designed a campaign with a headline that read “We take time.” It went on to extoll the vital role of vison in our lives and why it’s important to wait to make sure an eyeglass prescription is done right by a professional. The doctor felt I had completely missed his point, but he trusted my judgement and ran the campaign. The phone began to ring and one lady said “I haven’t had my prescription filled because I was waiting to find someone who took more than one hour to ‘grind’ my glasses”. He has run the ad for over 15 years and “taking the time” has now become his position in the market. His revenue, share and bottom line all increased when he became comfortable and congruent with who he was and what he did best- regardless of the market.
Transforming a company or brand from mediocre to magnetic requires refocusing on the passion that created it and aligning all else around it. Rather than chasing the market, the market will find you. And that makes work, and life in general, much more attractive.
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About the Author
Phil’s life goal of “creating environments where people thrive” reflects his desire to assist in both personal and corporate growth. With 18 years experience as the president and owner of a full service advertising and branding firm, Phil posseses a marketing "sixth sense" that has helped launch several national and internet companies. Phil resides with wife Michelle and four energetic offspring outside Asheville, North Carolina.
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
CAFTA Drives Manufacturing PR Branding Messages by: Thomas Cutler / Williams Money Group
TR Cutler, Inc., specializes in public relations for manufacturers. According to Thomas R. Cutler, President & CEO of the firm, "The Central American Free Trade Agreement is benefiting U.S. manufacturers by eliminating tariffs on many American goods imported by Central American nations. Manufacturers in Central America are initiating PR campaigns to develop a market presence in the U.S.; U.S. Manufacturers are initiating PR campaigns to develop a Central American market presence."
©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
Cutler's team includes Dean Schmidt, Vice President of PR Advantage Affinity Program and works with manufacturers and manufacturing associations to determine what is newsworthy and merits media coverage. Schmidt brings operations expertise to the team and will establish measurable impacts and metrics for manufacturing clients and noted that, "The passage of CAFTA is a strong indicator of global marketing in the manufacturing sector. The need to establish branding and market awareness in new markets requires aggressive PR campaigns."
Cutler is ranked as the nation's leading manufacturing journalist. Cutler founded the Manufacturing Media Consortium. This is a group of more than 2000 journalists worldwide writing about trends, data, case studies, profiles, and features in the manufacturing and industrial sector. Cutler worked with hundreds of media outlets to expand the coverage and importance of the manufacturing media coverage.
Cutler created the Mass Marketing Manufacturing Media Blitz, a comprehensive 90 - 180 day program allowing manufacturers with little web presence or with a new product introduction to go from zero to sixty in a short-term PR campaign. Cutler has authored more than 1000 articles for a wide range of manufacturing, industrial, and business journals, dailies, and month trade B2B publications. Cutler also authored best-selling Manufacturer's Public Relations and Media Guide. Cutler has been the spokesperson of the ETO (Engineer-to-Order) Institute, since 2004. The organization has quickly become the key resource for non-repetitive manufacturers. # # #
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©2008 Williams Money Group - All Rights Reserved
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