We hear the terms branding and brand thrown around all the time in reference to a logo or visual representation, however a brand is the total image or personality of your business. It is built from a collection of perceptions as a result of exposure to EVERY aspect of your communication with the world. Keep in mind, consumers will determine your brand based on how it makes them feel and their perception is everything.

Here is a sample list of things to keep in mind when evaluating your brand:

- Customer Experience
- Packaging
- Customer Service
- Advertising messages
- Communication via social media
- Pricing
- All aspects of design (colors, fonts, layouts)
- Your logo
- Your name
- Your employees
- Your reputation
- Your physical location / environment

As marketers it is our job to find and focus on the attributes that make each brand different. Every successful company has a unique selling proposition, but it is not enough to simply say that you have one. Every piece of marketing and communication should answer the HOW question. We are different because…

image courtesy Halton Region Small Business Centre

This, of course, is not mis-calulated, foolish risk-taking. Instead, it involves careful discernment and preparation. Even more so, it requires courage to try, go against the norm and say “why not?” when others have stopped at “why?”

Steve Jobs was not satisfied with the status quo and his life will continue to be an inspiration.

In business and marketing don’t settle for good. Push boundaries even if they are uncomfortable. Try something new. Do something great.

The basis of his post states that if you can’t get the rice right, you won’t be able to serve good sushi. Translate that to the marketing world and this becomes a poignant message. Unless you are really good at the MOST important things, you will not succeed with the latest marketing tool etc.

I take this into the realm of social media since that is the buzzword of today and the number 1 thing marketers are flocking to. Every day it seems as though new self-proclaimed “social media experts” and consultants are popping up. It becomes scary to think that someone that spends a great deal of time navigating this technological space believes that he/she is now qualified to coach businesses through using these tools as a marketing platform. Perhaps they are extremely technologically savvy and constantly in the know about the up and coming social networks. They may also grasp the idea of social media and why it is so important for a marketer to pay attention to it. Even still – without solid expertise on the basics, these efforts will fall flat.

The basics boil down to the principles of marketing and communication.

Do you know what your customers want? Do you know your target market? Do you know how to effectively communicate a message? Do you have the ability to look beyond the digital realm and realize how social media efforts play a role in overall branding and marketing? Are you upholding brand image with every piece of communication?  Are you creative?

As marketers, these are questions that we need to be asking every day. These are also questions that potential buyers of social consulting need to ask their potential consultant. Let’s never lose sight of the basics.

1) Keep it short!
People are skimmers. Get your point across with the shortest amount of text possible.

2) Use a relaxed, friendly tone.
Don’t take the copy from your traditional advertising *think radio ad* and use it on social media. (i.e. For more information call 1-800-685-5058) If you feel the need to do this you are probably using a sales-y approach as opposed to generating interesting content. Show your brand’s personality not robotic posting.

3) Change it up.
We have the ability to post links, photos, videos, status updates on Facebook. Use them all (especially photos and videos). Change it up and keep things interesting.

4) Keep it relevant.
People want to read current, relevant content that is on topic to your brand and business. Don’t stray far from your area of expertise. Instead, get creative with your posts!

5) Tag appropriately.
Tagging is a powerful tool for business pages on Facebook. If appropriate, be sure to utilize this tool.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that customer experience-based campaigns are not short-term focused sales messages. This especially holds true for those in the realm of selling a product. You can talk all day about why your product is superior or why a consumer should purchase your product, but that will only get you so far. Instead, completely switch gears and ask the question “how can I SHOW my potential customers why my product is superior through a fun, appealing experience?” P.S. We’re talking online AND offline experiences. This puts your consumer and their wants/needs first. That type of attitude will result in a far better success rate. Allow your potential customers to come to their own conclusions about your product through positive emotions. Truth is, the modern consumer is not going to listen to an advertiser telling them what to think anyway!

Here are some examples of customer experience/interactive initiatives that I love:

Burts Bees invites their visitors to “discover their naturally beautiful shade.”

Google gives tourists a great photo-op with this fun, interactive outdoor billboard.

LOFT gives their customers a chance to interact with stylists to perfect their fall wardrobe.

Make customer experience part of your marketing mix!

On the surface, these automation tools offer a seemingly convenient way to “be everywhere” while doing half the work. The problem is, your audience realizes this and the personal nature of the tools is completely lost. I have attempted communication with brands on Twitter that are operating through Facebook to Twitter automation and have rarely received a response.

If you are tempted to take this easy route of automation, consider the following:

1) A “set it and forget it” attitude does not work on social media
Setting up your profiles and pushing out information is not effectively using social media. It is apparent to the user when a brand has the “set it and forget it” attitude. Posts on Facebook walls and Twitter replies are ignored. Generating relevant content is a large piece of social media, however it cannot stop there. Availability and monitoring conversations about your brand are all part of making it work.

2) Focus on the portal where you want to spend the time.
Social media may be free in the monetary sense, but it is far from free when it comes to time. If the automation is simply a matter of not enough time, try to focus your energy. Instead of doing a middle-of-the-road job on multiple portals, devote your time on what appeals to you the most. It is more important to foster a network of truly loyal, engaged people instead of pushing out a message to every portal out there without taking the time necessary to make it work.

3) Facebook and Twitter both have their own language.
A hashtag on Facebook makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention, multiple posts per day on Twitter is perfectly acceptable, but inundating your Facebook following with multiple status updates is the quickest way to get your page “un-liked”.  When you can’t get the point of a tweet across in 140 characters, it is not appropriate to post. Take the time to learn how the audience on each portal communicates and act accordingly. Remember: Social media is about the USER not your brand.

In Conclusion: If you want to publish the same content on Facebook and Twitter, customize it.
No doubt, there are times when the same content will be published by your brand on both Facebook and Twitter. This is fine, but do take the time to customize each message for the particular portal.

According the the “Social Break-Up,” a study that surveyed 1,500+ consumers about their online behaviors and motivations for unliking or unfollowing brands on social media, the number one reason a business page will get “unliked” is as a result of posting too frequently. Other deterrents included, boring and predictable content, overcrowded newsfeed, and only taking advantage of a one-time offer.

This chart from mashable.com gives a great visual breakdown of why a business will get unliked on Facebook. Check out this fantastic post entitled, Top Reasons Why Consumers Unsubscribe Via E-mail, Facebook & Twitter by Erica Swallow.

So how much is too much? This is a debated issue and is truly dependent on your particular audience and brand. For one brand, one post per day may be plenty, but for another 3 is a good number. No matter what, be sure to space out your updates. Nothing is more annoying than a crowded newsfeed filled with updates from one particular brand!

The end-user has the ability to “Check In” at your business through apps available for all smart phones. You can offer incentives and promotions for checking in and/or, your location’s mayor (the person who has checked in the most).

Those who check in also have the option to offer instant feedback about your business through the “Tips” feature (ie. try the french fries!). With the world of advertising going more social by the minute, it is hard to determine which networks work and which do not. Foursquare has cemented its place as a necessity, especially in a time when consumers rely mostly on customer feedback to make their buying decisions.

Foursquare has carved out their niche very well; you can tell because Facebook released a competing service (Places) this fall. Regardless of their efforts, Foursquare is still the king of geo-location and probably will be for quite some time.

image courtesy of sylvainpaillard.com

I found this awesome quote from Dustin Curtis on Stage Two. He says,

Customer experience is the new brand.

I’m not referring to a brand as a logo and a typeface. I’m referring to the new kind of brand, the one is formed by the entire experience of a customer’s interaction. That experience gets branded into his or her memory and leaks into the buzz of modern culture. If you can’t make a good customer experience from start to finish, you’ve failed to generate brand value that will attract customers to come back for repeat business and tell their friends to come back, too. That’s how good customer experience directly affects the bottom line.

I wanted to share this quote, because as advertisers and marketers sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the frills – the pretty ad, the funny campaign, the cool website, the unique direct mail piece, the awesome Facebook landing page, etc.- but we lose sight of what TRULY builds a brand. It boils down to the customer experience. Visual elements do play a role, especially when it comes to initially catching attention and creating an emotional connection in the minds of consumers. However, if that is not followed by a rock-solid customer experience, your well-designed pieces and clever campaigns will be wasted.

In this digital age that we live and breathe everyday, customers now have a voice unlike ever before. Immediately, their networks are informed about bad customer experiences. We’ve all heard the phrase “Word of Mouth is now World of Mouth” – and it’s true!

If you are not getting the desired results from your advertising or your social media efforts, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and evaluate the customer experience. What kind of customer service are you providing? Does the user-experience match what you are promoting (online and off)? Do you go above and beyond when pleasing your customer? If you don’t know the answers to these questions – ASK! Customers will tell you what they want if you are willing to listen.