Everyone has heard the word “brand”, but very few people could fully describe what it means, and, as pointed out in David Ogilvy’s quote above, fewer still know the work required to create one. So how do we define a brand? In essence, brands are built in the relationships a company has with its constituents – be they consumers, staff members, or a board of directors. A brand is more than just the images and marketing a company uses – it is also made up of the perception of a company’s personality and principles.

Explore the elements of branding. There are two major sides to the branding equation – what a company tells constituents about itself (brand identity), and what the overall public opinion of that company is (brand image). Though the two areas are unique in their processes and challenges, they are often intertwined and both directly lead to the overall value of the brand itself. Brand identity includes such elements as the company name, logo, and slogan, but can be extended far beyond that to any elements that are part of the overall marketing scheme. Such things as a company spokesperson, themes in colors or shape, or jingles associated with a company fall under the brand identity. Brand image, on the other hand, is much more subjective. It relies on the public perception of the brand, and may be influenced by a business’ perceived values, political actions, or consumer reactions to marketing campaigns. When working to create a strong brand, it is important for businesses to look at the whole picture, as the culmination of all of these elements is what your customers will eventually see.

What type of branding is right for you? Though there are no set rules to creating a brand, it is important to define the way you wish to represent your company. An important step in doing this is to develop a unique selling proposition. A unique selling proposition is the point of difference between your business and competitors. It should convey the values of your company while giving consumers a reason to give your products and services a chance. Once you have a way to differentiate yourself from your competitors, though, there are still a number of avenues you can take to sell your brand to customers.

Many established businesses center their branding around the strength of their company name alone. While this can be a powerful way to put stock behind the brand, it typically requires that there already be an established identity for that business. So-called attitude branding, on the other hand, relies more on the brand image, playing to the emotions and feelings of consumers. This type of branding generally says more towards the overall personality of the company. Alternatively, some companies are taking a “no-brand” approach – establishing a simple, generic look to their marketing and packaging in hopes of letting their goods speak for themselves. While this method plays against conventional marketing wisdom, it has seen success in some product fields.

Of course, these are not the only examples of different routes companies have taken to launch their brand. As with most areas of business marketing, branding relies as much on experimentation as it does establishment. Your brand should be limited only by your creativity and the amount testing you’re willing to do.

Market across the whole spectrum. Building a brand requires businesses to put themselves in the shoes of their customers and view all of their marketing as a consumer would. Taking a holistic view to all areas of advertising strengthens brand recognition and the value of your business as a whole. It is essential for modern companies to recognize the interdependence of different areas of marketing – websites, for example, are only valuable as a marketing tool if you have some means of luring consumers to them; be it online ads or a mention during a radio spot. So-called “integrated marketing” helps to create a nexus within an advertising campaign, spreading the word across a number of different media. Companies must go beyond marketing to new consumers, however, and spend some time creating buy-in from their staff as well. If employees truly believe in the products and services your business sells, they are more likely to adhere to as well as expand your brand’s personality.

Lead the charge. The last decade has seen an explosion of new technologies made available to businesses and consumers alike. With the rapid expansion of the accessibility and mobility of Internet tools, marketing has very much become a two-way street between you and your customers. Social media allows you to have a direct link to your desired customers, while giving them an avenue to leave valuable feedback for your company. This emergence can greatly alter the public perception of your brand as you can exemplify your business’ personality and unique selling proposition. However, vast communication tools will require more transparency from businesses – if consumers disagree with your company’s values or feel that you did not fulfill promises, it is now possible for them to spread the word with only a few keystrokes. As such, the dawn of the 21^st century has created a brave new world for advertisers. Now, more than ever, it is essential for start-ups to focus on what truly defines and unifies them as a brand, and work to find new and innovative ways to promote themselves.

So, what is it? A unique selling proposition is what sets your business apart from the competition. It is a specific benefit of your products or services that no one else in the market can claim. It should make a clear statement about your company, and is designed to pull customers in from other areas of the market. One way to think of it is as a promise to your customers; “if you purchase our products, we guarantee…”

Developing a USP. The most diligent way to create your own unique selling proposition is to look at your market from the customer’s perspective. Many successful propositions come from filling perceived gaps in service or quality (Dominoes “30 minutes or less” deal), while still others make simple promises about their specific product (Head & Shoulders ability of dandruff control). It is important that your proposition focuses on functional differences in the products and services of your company – lowest price, best service, highest quality – while still being expressive of your brand. Think of it as a guarantee that is unique to your business, but remember that nothing will turn consumers away from your company quicker than unfulfilled promises.

USPs and Marketing. Often times, a unique selling proposition is used as the foundation for an entire marketing campaign. It should be one of the first steps in defining what a company is about, as well as how it will be marketed to consumers. It should help convey your company’s personality and can be used as one of the pillars in your overall branding scheme. Be certain to include your proposition in all of your marketing materials – whether it be in the form of a catchphrase, slogan, or special guarantee. Ultimately, your unique selling proposition should be the primary message you are sending to consumers about your business.

Who, What, When & Where. Depending on the nature of your industry, you can expect your site to have an average “bounce rate” – the number of users that spend little to no time on a site page – to be between 30 and 50%. This means that a large portion of the visitors to your page are making a split-second decision on whether or not they find your business’ site compelling enough to look deeper. In order to curb your bounce rate, it is important to be up front about the products and services you offer. The most vital content on your site – products, store locations, contact information, etc. – should be on full display, while other elements – news updates, company history, employee bios – can be tucked away, though still accessible.

Design & Aesthetics.  Another way to lower your site’s bounce rate is through the design of the site itself. Use a design that is appealing to the eyes, but not overbearing. A clear navigation menu (typically towards the top of the screen) and uncluttered design can make a world of difference for how users view your site and company. While professional web developers can often be costly, an experienced designer can help bring your ideas to reality and add the extra oomph that your site needs. Also, be certain that your design meets web standards, and be conscious of web crawlers and SEO.

On Content Updates. More than anything, Internet users are looking for worthwhile information. The success of any site hinges on its administrator’s ability to frequently update site content and keep users coming back. This may mean adding an informative blog, rolling out new products and services, or having areas on your site for user discussion. There are many tools available today to help you generate content long before it’s posted – with no need to rush, remember quality as well as quantity.

Watch the Data. Any web hosting company worth its salt will have options to track your sites traffic, but if not there are free alternatives. It is important that you keep a leg up on how consumers are using your website. Be certain to note where your users are coming from, which pages they visit most frequently, and how long they’re spending on each page. Knowing which pages your customers navigate and how they got there in the first place can paint a broad picture in terms of customer demographics and the effectiveness of different portions of your site. If you can use the information to help increase site traffic, then you can use it to grow your business.

Facebook, as you likely already know, is the largest social networking site to date. With more than 800 million active users (about 150 million in the United States alone), it stands as one of the most direct lines of communication between you and your clients. Facebook allows you to easily create a “fan page” for your business. This lets you upload basic pieces of information, such as a description, photos, and business hours, but expands well beyond that in terms of how you can connect with your clients. Consumers can “Like” your page, which gives you the ability to link them to exclusive content, as well as post messages to their update feed. You may also create event listings and invite attendees, or use the chatting feature and Facebook video for on-the-go meetings. Hundreds of business-oriented apps are available to add to your page, allowing you to do everything from inserting customized HTML to integrating with other networking sites. With new users and features being added daily, Facebook is a must for modern businesses of all sizes.

Google Plus is Google’s answer to Facebook. Currently it is oriented more on individual users, and only has limited support for businesses. Still, it does have some perks that are not as readily available in Facebook. With Google Plus, contacts are sorted into what are called “Circles”. These allow you to post different content to specific groups, which could allow for a more targeted audience than what you may achieve with Facebook. Being a subset of Google also means that the page can have easier access to users of the search engine or Google Chrome browser. Google Places is a free directory service that has been gradually rolled out with Google Maps. As such, your business may already be listed on Google Places, but you still have the option to create an account and spruce it up with features such as business hours, service area, photos, videos, keywords, and special offers. As such, Google Places can be a great resource to gain an online presence without creating a full-blown site.

Twitter is a simple online platform with great implications. The basic premise is that users are able to post short snippets – only 140 characters – for others to read. Individuals can subscribe to other users’ feeds, or use different “Trending Topics” – popular categories that users can relate individual posts to. This allows both businesses and consumers to easily find like-minded individuals. Companies can comment and converse directly with their clients, and clients know that they have a direct link of communication to your business. The use of different tags and trending topics enables businesses to see exactly what their customers are saying about them, and gives them an effective platform to respond. Twitter also integrates seamlessly with Facebook, blogs, and many other social tools, letting businesses create a solid online presence.

Unlike the other tools in this list, LinkedIn is primarily focused on professional networking. It allows you to define your company and list basic information about it. Individuals can then create their own profiles that outline their positions within the business. Employees can exemplify their individual strengths and connect with others in the same industry. Though its population is not as large as some of the other social sites out there, LinkedIn is a powerful tool in creating business partnerships, as well as learning industry trends.

With such a large number of networking sites available, it can sometimes become overwhelming trying to keep up with all of them. Just remember, experimentation is key to finding out which sites will most benefit your business – you have to find the ones that work for you, not vise versa!

Learn to speak “Crawler”. Search engines use online bots, referred to as web crawlers, to document and navigate new sites to be used in their listings. Unlike human users, crawlers cannot see media elements such as images and videos, or other web applications such as Flash and Java. They rely on a combination of keywords, text, and anchors (hyperlinks) to piece a site together. Be certain descriptions and keywords are set for each of your site pages using the HTML Meta tag:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META name=”description” content=”Your online resource for customized business training” />
<META name=”keywords” content=”customized training, entrepreneurship, North Platte, McCook” />
</HEAD>
</HTML>

It is important not to overload your keywords –use a few unique keywords that are directly related to your company rather than using many that could come up in unrelated searches. It is also a good idea to sprinkle these keywords throughout your pages, especially in page headings and hyperlinks. Another way to help crawlers navigate your site is to create a text-only site map page that directly links to the different sections of your site.

Take advantage of back links. Back links are hyperlinks from an external site to one of your pages. The more back links crawlers see directed to your site, the more likely a search engine is to put your page higher in their rankings. While you can’t control whether or not other pages are willing to link to your site, there a few tricks you can use to increase your number of back links. Create a network of pages on various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Use updates on your social media feeds to link users back to your site. Blogs and newsletters can also be a great way to increase your number of back links – links to specific blog posts can be included in social networking feeds as well. Be certain that back links do not all go to the same page. If a crawler only sees back links to your main page, it is less likely that it will index pages deeper in the site.

Content is king. The most important tool for gaining search engine rankings is content. Crawlers look for sites with dynamic content, and much of a site’s search engine ranking is based on when the site was last updated. Using blogs or other systems that can easily be updated will help your rankings, but it is important to weigh quality versus quantity. Crawlers will look for topics directly related to the keywords you set, and are built to recognize whether new updates appear to be automated or not. Using natural language and providing quality resources for your site users is absolutely key in gaining a crawler’s attention.

Where to look: The Internet offers such a large number of sites centered around business and product reviews that it is sometimes difficult to know where to find the ones that your clients use. It’s best to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and search for reviews of your business the same way they would. Try typing your company into a Google search and see what comes up. You may find listings all over the web, but some popular comment sites include:

• http://www.google.com/places/
• http://www.yelp.com/
• http://local.yahoo.com/

Each of these sites gives basic information about your business (such as your address and phone number) that make it easier for new customers to find you, but their real power comes from user generated ratings and reviews. While every review may not reflect your business positively, the way you respond to praise and complaints alike can reflect well in the eyes of potential clients.

Dealing with negative reviews: Let’s face it, you can’t please everyone. If an unhappy customer posts negative reviews on one of these sites, it is important that you handle it in a courteous and professional manner. Respond as quickly as possible, and work to get a point-by-point framework of their gripes. Take corrective action towards their reasonable points, and see if you can come to an agreement with them on how best to resolve the issue. Be warned, though, not everyone on the Internet likes to play nice. If a customer acts maliciously towards you, be sure to notify the site’s support or flag their comments as inappropriate.

Commending positive reviews: If a customer likes your products or services well enough to write a positive review of them on a website, it is certainly courteous to let them know that you value their thoughts. Be certain to respond to positive reviews in addition to the negative ones. Something as simple as “Thank you for the wonderful comments” can go a long way in retaining customers. It may even be wise to offer them special deals after they post comments, but remember that such perks should be done in private and should not be used as incentives to other would-be reviewers.

Broaden your online horizons: Working online comments to your advantage can extend well beyond simply responding to reviews. Everything from posts on Facebook to answering questions on Yahoo Answers can help you connect with possible consumers while establishing your brand as experts in your field. The Internet provides many great tools to garner feedback from your clients, and it is important to take the good with the bad. Just remember to be open to your customers’ opinions, view their criticism constructively, and always be courteous.

Be clear on the purpose of the email. Email marketing can be split into two categories: informative or promotional. Informative emails, such as newsletters, can cover a wide variety of topics and should include customer-driven content. Use these to offer up free tips and spend little time “tooting your own horn”. Promotional emails, on the other hand, should be geared towards a specific new product or service. Be brief, accentuate the results the product will have for your customer, and make a clear call to action.

Always ask your customers permission to send them email marketing. Nobody likes clicking through hundreds of spam emails. Be certain to use an opt-in or permission-based system so that only those customers who are interested in your emails will receive them. Only ask for as much personal information when users sign up as you absolutely need, and be clear on the benefits and content of your email marketing. Worried nobody will sign up? Offer discounts or other incentives to keep customers checking their inboxes.

Branding, branding, branding. Use a template for each type of email you send to consumers. Be sure to include your company’s color scheme and logo so customers know exactly who sent it. Always remember, text coupled with graphics is more likely to be read, but not every email client will display images. It’s smart to offer both HTML and text-only options to let your clients decide what they want to see.

Don’t be afraid of feedback. Federal Law mandates that email marketing must have an option for users to unsubscribe. Be certain to make the process as easy and efficient as possible, but also use it as a chance garner feedback. If a handful of your users are unhappy about specific areas with your email marketing, do what you can to take corrective action. Remember, marketing is all about creativity, experimentation, and patience.

More complex than a standard bar code, QR codes have been described as a “printed hyperlink” that can be read by smart phones and other mobile devices. They allow users to be linked directly to specific web pages, videos, and other online media, as well as simple text descriptions or even contact information that can be saved into their phone.


QR codes can be generated easily and then used to be printed on nearly any material imaginable (everything from catalogs to billboards, or even tattoos). QR code readers allow the code itself to have minor embellishments and stylization – include your brand colors and logo to create a unique look for your business’ codes. With the right toolset, the benefits QR Coding could have for your company is limited only to the scope of your imagination.

Business Cards: Let your customers avoid hassle by printing business cards with the contact information encoded in a QR code. Any clients with a smart phone could simply scan the code and – voila, you’ve made an instant connection as your contact information is saved directly into their phone.

 Coupons and Special Offers: Adding a QR code to specific promotional materials can allow you to send those customers to a designated landing page. You can use that to provide them with a coupon code or special offer, and give your company the means to effectively track which promos are drawing consumers in.

Event Invitation: A QR code on an event invitation or flyer can allow you to send customers to a webpage that lets them reserve their seats right away. No more guessing how many participants to expect at your next event!

Product Information: Allow customers the ability to scan a QR code that takes them to a landing page for one of your products or services. Include pricing, descriptions, reviews, and suggestions for similar products. Combined with shopping cart software, a print advertisement can become an online store.

Endless Possibilities: QR codes allow you to fully integrate your printed marketing with robust technology tools. Whether you’re using them to send customers to a survey for feedback, get more Likes for your Facebook page, or give clients directions to your store, there is no doubt that QR coding is right for your business.

Check out these online resources to get started on QR coding today:

• http://www.kaywa.com
• http://www.qrstuff.com
• http://www.goqr.me
• http://www.qrlicious.com

The most uncomfortable discussion a leader has to have is to correct someone’s behavior or unacceptable performance level. In this workshop, presenter Steve Narans of the SilverStone Group will help participants learn how to help the person examine the impact of his/her behavior and basic corrective action guidelines to close the gap between expectations and the status quo.

Cost is $100. For more information or to register, log on to: http://centerforenterprise.com or call (308) 535-3682.

This day of support is aimed at showing caregivers the abundant avenues of support that exist and how to access the support when it is needed.

“Caregivers will go away with a new-found sense of knowing they are not alone and ready to take on the challenges ahead of them,” said Judy Malone, MCC Program Coordinator.

This event is open to anyone who plays a role in the caregiver role.
Julie Masters, Department of Gerontology at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and national speaker Laura Hilty are among those who will be featured along with Alynn Ahlemeyer, Respite Coordinator and Malone, who is also a family caregiver.

Masters will present “How Caregiving Affects the Heart” during the keynote address at 9:15 a.m. and Hilty, will present “Stress Relief Strategies” during the 12:45 session.

In addition, special break-out sessions and relaxing activities are planned.
Registration and a vendor fair starts at 8 a.m. Saturday with the morning session to begin at 9 a.m.

Class fee of $29 has been waived through Respite funding.

For more information contact the MPCC Center for Enterprise at 308-345-8122 or the Nebraska Respite Network at 1-866-RESPITE.