Be The Brand!

Be The Brand! [disney travel world] By Paula Morrow, Sat Dec 10th Quick - what do you think of when you think of Nike? The swoopsymbol, right? Disney: Mickey Mouse, Disney Land/Disney Worldand Cinderella's Castle. Now, think Corey Rudl...the Internet Marketing Center; KenEvoy...Make My ___ Sell products; Allan Gardyne... associateprograms. These are much more than products... these are brands and brandidentities. Have you thought about how you will brand yourself through yourbusiness? Now, a lot of the experts emphasize the importance of yourunique selling proposition (USP) in the equation. Granted, USPis a key element in building your brand. But it's not the total picture.[disney travel world] If Nike had concentrated its corporate philosophy on onlyproducing a top-quality running shoe, how different do you thinkthe company would be today? As we all are know, Nike is much more than a shoe company. It'sa sports brand: a sports promoter, a shoe and clothing company,a retail store. It closely identifies its brand with winnersfrom the world of sports (Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, forexample). Their goal - for you to feel that by using Nike products you toocan succeed. Or at least look like your heroes. The Walt DisneyCompany is famous (infamous really) for its religious zeal inenforcing it's clean, wholesome, family image. Having grown up outside Disney World in Florida, I saw firsthandthe steps that Disney took to enforce their strict standards(appearance, customer service, etc.), the real-world tests theyput their employees through. And the payoff? Billions. Everything is planned to protect the branding of the Walt DisneyCompany as a fun, safe, family-oriented organization. No surprises. Now, I'm not saying that you have to go to the extent of aDisney or a Nike, but you should put serious thought into theimpression you're trying to make. Does everything flow from your USP? From the look and feel ofyour web site, your business cards to your ads - are youbuilding your brand?[disney travel world] Ask yourself these questions: What does your company stand for? What do you want to be known for? What is your company philosophy? Does everyone that work with/for you understand their role inbuilding the brand or image of the company? When someone says the name of your business, what image, feelingdo you want to come to mind? These are questions you need to address when you first startyour business. Since everything builds on these principles. What do you want to stand for? Will you be the king/queen of the newbies? Will you be the bestin associate programs, and vie with Allan Gardyne? Will you beknown for software development? What are your short and long-term plans to make this a reality? Only after you determine what you want to accomplish, will yoube able to effectively choose the right marketing plan toexecute. Once you've a plan in place, you'll have a firm grasp on how toproceed. Once you're clear, you'll find that your advertisingand marketing becomes more effective. And your customers, with a clear understanding of the companythey're dealing with - will act in the desired manner - byresponding with sales! About the author:Paula Morrow heads Ideal Marketing Corporation, specializing ininformation products and training for newbie netpreneurs.Subscribe to IDEALProfits, now read in 12 countries, and receive5 bonus ebooks! http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com/subscribe.html

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