Building Your Brand to Build Your Business
By Chuck Bartok | July 4, 2010
Building Your Brand
In the last post we discussed the Internet as a Bridge of Communication
In order to effectively use that bridge we need to Define who is driving the Vehicle across that bridge. There are many ways to effectively Brand yourself on the Internet.
- Be sure to post suitable Picture at every Opportunity. Either personal Picture if Branding SELF or an appropriate Company Logo
- Be sure you have a written Plan of Action for spreading your Brand over the Internet through The Social Media, Advertising Exchanges, Forums, and Groups relative to YOUR Niche
Branding is the process of creating distinctive and durable perceptions in the minds of consumers. A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Here’s why the effort to brand your company or yourself pays off.
The following points are directed to Off-line sales and services, but apply to On-line also. The advantage of On-line Branding is the COST of branding is more in terms of Time and Energy, not hard capital
1. Memorability. A brand serves as a convenient container for a reputation and good will. It’s hard for customers to go back to “that whatsitsname store” or to refer business to “the plumber from the Yellow Pages.” In addition to an effective company name, it helps when people have material reminders reinforcing the identity of companies they will want to do repeat business with: refrigerator magnets, tote bags, datebooks, coasters, key rings, first aid kits, etc.
Memorability can come from using and sticking with an unusual color combination (FedEx’s purple and orange), distinctive behavior (the gas station whose attendants literally run to clean your windshield), or with an individual, even a style of clothing (Author Tom Wolfe’s white suits). Develop your own identifiers and nail them to your company name in the minds of your public.
2. Loyalty. When people have a positive experience with a memorable brand, they’re more likely to buy that product or service again than competing brands. People who closely bond with a brand identity are not only more likely to repurchase what they bought, but also to buy related items of the same brand, to recommend the brand to others and to resist the lure of a competitor’s price cut. The brand identity helps to create and to anchor such loyalty.
Consider the legions of car owners who travel up to 2,000 miles at their own expense to attend a Saturn celebration at the company’s plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. That’s loyalty. And supposedly, more people have the motorcycle brand “Harley-Davidson” tattooed on their body than any other brand name. That’s out-of-this-world loyalty.
3. Familiarity. Branding has a big effect on non-customers too. Psychologists have shown that familiarity induces liking. Consequently, people who have never done business with you but have encountered your company identity sufficient times may become willing to recommend you even when they have no personal knowledge of your products or services. Seeing your ads on local buses, having your pen on their desk, reading about you in the Hometown News, they spread the word for you when a friend or colleague asks if they know a ____ and that’s what you do.
4. Premium image, premium price. Branding can lift what you sell out of the realm of a commodity, so that instead of dealing with price-shoppers you have buyers eager to pay more for your goods than for those of competitors. Think of some people’s willingness to buy the currently “in” brand of bottled water, versus toting along an unlabeled bottle of the same stuff filled from the office water cooler.
The distinctive value inherent in a brand can even lead people to dismiss evidence they would normally use to make buying decisions. I once saw one middle-aged Cambridge, Massachusetts, intellectual argue to several colleagues that Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee tastes better than Starbucks’. So contradictory was this claim to the two companies’ reputations for this demographic group that the colleagues refused to put the matter to a taste test.
5. Extensions. With a well-established brand, you can spread the respect you’ve earned to a related new product, service or location and more easily win acceptance of the newcomer. For instance, when a winery with a good reputation starts up regional winery tours, then adds foreign ones, each business introduction benefits from the positive perceptions already in place.
6. Greater company equity. Making your company into a brand usually means that you can get more money for the company when you decide to sell it. A Coca-Cola executive once said that if all the company’s facilities and inventory vanished all around the world, he could walk into any bank and take out a loan based only on the right to the Coca-Cola name and formula.
7. Lower marketing expenses. Although you must invest money to create a brand, once it’s created you can maintain it without having to tell the whole story about the brand every time you market it. For instance, a jingle people in your area have heard a zillion times continues to promote the company when it’s played without any words.
8. For consumers, less risk. When someone feels under pressure to make a wise decision, he or she tends to choose the brand-name supplier over the no-name one. As the saying goes, “You’ll never be fired for buying IBM.” By building a brand, you fatten your bottom line.
We tend to think of Branding as a Logo on a Physical Product, but on the Internet it is important to build credibility of YOUR Ability to Deliver, since most Internet sales are comprised of Service Products, such as:
- Training information.
- Coaching and mentoring.
- MLM leadership to build a downline.
- Software tools and systems.
People buy from People they know and trust. In order to Develop YOUR Brand on the Internet you need to develop the reputation as a PROVIDER of Valued products and Services. Learn to Over deliver and provide impeccable Customer Service.
One of the best example of branding in a niche I have noticed in a short time is John Brand and his company, Buckaroo Leather Products.
John created the branded name BuckarooJohn and has used that for all Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc). Hebecame active in forums in his niche (horse enthusiasts) and always used the Signature, BuckarooJohn along with his Picture at work.
Between his Blogging, effective website design and updating, allocating hour or so a day on proper Social Media Networking his company has enjoyed Increased Sales and Profits with little Capital Outlay, primarily through consistent, applied action, following the well designed PLAN.
If you would like to know more on the simple techniques BucakrooJohn used, call for a quick 1/2 Hour FREE evaluation.
Look at my “signature” below, which goes out on all E-mail and any other HTML ready publication. This is a Free Service from
WISESTAMP.COM
Chuck BartokConsultant-Horse Barns-Gardener
Tel: 1-530-798-0245
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Is the Internet a Business or a Bridge to Build a Businesses?
By Chuck Bartok | June 27, 2010
I know, I have been absent again for a while. No excuse for not being consistent in blogging, here at Beginner Marketing Class Blog. Creating the New Membership and Product site on our Weekly Webinar series have kept my focus away from BMC, but the real culprit is PROCRASTINATION. ( Grab this Free E-book which helped me get back on track)
Listening to the many callers from our Two Podcasts a week I keep hearing about the Internet as a BUSINESS. I do believe the Internet is a Viable business for the 1-2% of Developers of Applications, and creators of Valuable TOOLS and SOFTWARE.
But for the budding Marketer, the person who is seeking to create a Part or Full Time Business, the INTERNET is nothing more than a Bridge of Communication to establish Credibility and Authority and develop strong Customer Relations…
As Donald Lee Photograph below, so well illustrates that BRIDGE for many seems Foggy and difficult to traverse. There is new terminology, programs being offered, seemingly, daily. I have listened to many who feel lost and willing to Forgo the Internet as a TOOL to build a business.
So let’s spend a moment to see if we can CLEAR the path and demonstrate who simple this wonderful Global Bridge (The Internet) can easily be traversed, but for many is seems shrouded in a bank of fog.
Going back to the previous post we can review the steps needed before the Journey begins and what needs to be done to prepare using the Internet.
Once the above are in place, a Plan of action needs to be implemented.
- What is you Goal for Internet Activity?
- How much Time are you willing to invest?
- Is your Budget set at realistic numbers?
To effectively use the Internet as a Communication Bridge you need to build a list of interested prospects to your Product or Service. Having your own hosting account and C-panel will allow you to build attractive Capture pages to gather information to communicate further about WHO YOU ARE and learn more about WHO YOUR PROSPECTS ARE and what their needs and wants might be.
Before and while that is going on, YOU need to be building a PRESENCE and credibility as the GO TO Person for the Product or Service which is YOUR passion.
We will be addressing each of these methods in Detail in subsequent posts:
Building that Clear Vision Bridge on the Internet
- Branding
- Blogging
- Effective Social Media
The above methods are Low to No Cost and require a Plan of Action
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Let’s get Going Building Your Business
By Chuck Bartok | April 5, 2010
OK in past blog posts here at Beginners Marketing Class we have discussed the Basics of starting an building a Business. The basics apply to both On-line and Off-line Ventures.
- Declaring your Definite Major Purpose
- Establishing a Business plan with definite date of inception and a Plan of Action
- Creating a reasonable Budget and Cash Flow Projections
- Research the market
- Surround yourself with a Mastermind Alliance
In the Previous Post we discussed Basics of Getting an On-line Business moving forward and the requirements needed.
- Get the Foundation (Plan of Action, Budget, Market Research)
- Secure Domain names
- Hosting
- Autoresponder system set up
Toady I want to focus on the First Section, assuming your Business Plan and Budget are handled we then need to focus on Market Research, Keywords and choosing a Domain Name/Names.
Depending on the business model you chose:
- Affiliate Marketing
- MLM/Network Marketing
- Direct sales of Created products
you will approach these task differently. I enjoy focusing on Personally Created Products for Direct sales because they allow Control of all aspects. Affiliate marketing is lucrative but you are always at risk of product owner changing the Game as you find with MLM marketing
There is a series of 4 Product Creation Video on my Channel at YouTube]
Here is the first for your pleasure
But regardless the Business Model You chose, THE FIRST THING, after researching the market competition, is Choosing one or More Domain names.
There is much written on the importance of Domain name Length and how to format the words..
All one word or hyphenated.
The following articles bring up some points regarding Length and Format
Statistics on Domain Name Length
and
Is Your Domain Name Hurting Sales
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How TO Establish Credibility Building a Web based Business
By Chuck Bartok | March 3, 2010
Before I start on today’s Building a Business Tips and Tricks, I want to thank John Stacy, of JNS Designz, for commenting on the last post, Back to Basics.. John brought my attention to the Fact I forgot the Basic component of a WEBSITE. John’s name is a hyperlink to his Business site and I must disclose, he has designed and successful sites for many of my Clients
Today’s Topic:
One thing has been obvious to me, consulting with those aspiring to establish an Internet business or integrate the Internet with existing off-line business…
Many are burdened with the concern of NOT having credibility in the On-line Market place and it IS a reality.
But a concern that can be easily mitigated, following some Obvious steps in creating your Brand and Business Venue
Credibility is one of the most critical factors that will affect your online business success. Being credible is simply the perception of being trustworthy and believable. Why do people buy brand name goods and services on the Internet and in the off-line world? One of the key reasons is that the brand represents a level of quality that they know and trust.
So how can you build credibility on the Internet for your business?
A key factor is being consistent. People are more likely to trust a business or person who acts in a similar manner most of the time. For example, if your publish a newsletter to your customers or potential clients, aim for similar quality in each issue. Also, be consistent in your style of writing. Publish on a regular basis – irregular publication schedules cause confusion in the minds of your readers.
Consistency applies to every aspect of your business. Don’t change your guarantee terms every couple of weeks. Ensure that all your products or services consistently meet the quality and value standards that your are promoting.
Credibility is something that is earned. Therefore, you need to give of yourself to get trust back in return. There are many ways to do this. Some software businesses offer free trial periods so the customer can try before they buy. Others offer a “shareware” version for people to trial. This process enables the potential customer to check that your product will do the job you say that it will.
Sharing your knowledge is a useful way to build your credibility. This can be done through monitoring discussion lists and boards that your potential customers frequent. Answer questions that they pose. Be a regular contributor to the list so that people come to know and respect your knowledge. One method I have found to be very rewarding is to regularly Podcast Talk Shows, interacting with others about topics we share a common Bond. Download any or all of the past episodes of The Focus Society of Overachievers and BMC Talk Show
Making outlandish claims in advertisements or web site can harm your credibility. Telling the truth is always the best way. Ensure that your products or services provide more value than promised. (Wallace Wattles said it best, “Always deliver more REAL Value than You Receive in Cash Value”) Take the time to walk in your customers’ shoes before writing your ad copy or your web site promotional material. This will enable you to clearly state benefits that your potential customers are looking for in a way that they will find believable.
Sincere and real Testimonials can be a powerful way to generate trust in your product or service. A testimonial is a statement from a happy customer saying how your product or service helped them. Set up systems to gain unsolicited testimonials whenever you can. When you gather testimonials to publish on your site, ensure that you have permission to publish them. Also, never make up testimonials to boost your credibility as more often than not you will be caught out and be discredited. (the New FTC regulations address these concerns very clearly)
Don’t just state what your qualifications are on your web site or in your promotional material. Instead, state how your qualifications can benefit your potential customers. For example, state how your expertise will provide the solution your prospect needs in a way he or she will understand.
Following sound business practices will help your credibility also. This includes ensure that your business address and phone numbers are clearly shown on your web site. Also, ensure that you are contactable via phone and email and respond promptly to each contact. Have you had phone messages or email that were never responded to? How did that influence your perception of the business?
Prompt delivery of what has been ordered also helps build the right impression of your business. So too does quickly responding to claims on your guarantee. Efficient business procedures that are focused on providing customer satisfaction will always help your business image and credibility. If you are delivering Digital products, periodically monitor you LINKS
Strong credibility takes a long time and much effort to build. It can be destroyed quickly and sometimes can never be regained. Have you noticed that once a person or a business gains a bad reputation it can be extremely hard to change? For your business to achieve it’s full potential, it is important that you set standards and live by them so that you are constantly building your credibility.
Remember that each thing you do in your business will affect the image of your business. Being focused on providing solutions to your customers, providing consistent quality and value for money, and being accessible will all help you achieve the credibility your business needs to succeed.
These, and other Business Building topics are Discussed at length in our Forum, in the Membership site, Beginners Marketing Class and the Weekly Subscription based Webinar series, Building a Web Based Business from Scratch Social Media has been a very productive Venue for anyone to establish Credibility on the Internet rapidly, if common sense practices are employed
Some of the links above will direct you to products , which if purchased will generate modest commission to me.
Other products are proprietary and will generate larger Gross compensation to me..I like Those kind
That is why I am in business to earn Net Income, and I hope you will soon enjoy the same benefit of being IN Charge of your Income, regardless of the Nanny State
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Back to the Basics of Building a Business
By Chuck Bartok | February 28, 2010
I am somewhat embarrassed not to have been back to my Favorite (and first attempt at WordPress Blog) for so long. Last post was a guest post by Sean McNeely, a regular member of Beginners Marketing Class.
It is Time to get back to the Basics of Building a Business
This blog was launched with the help of the ole’ Bald Guy Mike Paetzold and I appreciate his professionalism.
The Blog was produced in conjunction with the Membership site Beginners Marketing Class launched to help aspiring Marketer to establish a solid BUSINESS Foundation, before investing too many dollars Chasing Rainbows
We established an Easy One -Two-Three process of creating, implementing and Growing Your Business, regardless the model in a community atmosphere.
The fundamentals:
- Declaring your Definite Major Purpose
- Establishing a Business plan with definite date of inception and a Plan of Action
- Creating a reasonable Budget and Cash Flow Projections
- Research the market
- Surround yourself with a Mastermind Alliance
These simple statements have been discussed and re-discussed here on the Internet and in seminars for years. But the truth is they STILL are required for the a smoother and more successful Creation and building of a Business.
But we know the way of Getting Things Done is to create the Habit and work ethic through focusing positive energy into your Subconscious Mind for a period of time (21 Days according to Maltz)
Visit our Forum and Download the 2 years of Podcasts , showing real applications of these principles..
But OK enough of the Chatter and on to the Meat and Potatoes.
What does all this COST?
How Long does it Take to be Successful?
For the past five years I have listened to every story possible on how so many have spent so much and have not enjoyed the Benefit of “success”, and almost everyone suffered the same Mistake…
They Bought the Farm before they conducted a soil check.
They Started framing before they Built the Foundation.
Let’s STOP making same mistakes and JUMPING in without preparation. Take the time and follow the above steps, stop by our FREE Forum , register and read, ask questions and enjoy positive answers. Join us live on our Wednesday Podcast
BASIC Costs to get started after YOU have decided the Business model, established a Business plan and Rudimentary Budget:
- Secure a Domain name (specific to the major Premise of your Business or it’s actual name. i.e beginnersmarketingclass.com
Cost: typical $10.00 for first year and any additional extensions .net .info etc. There is discussion as to whether you should secure name for only one Year or longer. Argument for longer procurement is “you are more Established” to those researching your Company’s integrity. - Secure adequate Hosting. I have used the service linked here for the past year and have been pleased with the UP-TIME and SUPPORT.. Price is right at $45.00 for the year. The hosting will be providing the C-panel with wonderful Video Tutorials and more information is available to Members of our Weekly Webinar series. It is from this simple Platform you can create YOUR squeeze, lead capture and Splash pages, set up your own Forum, and install WordPress Self-hosted Blog.
- Obviously, I encourage the Joining of our Subscription based Webinar Series, Building a Web based Business from Scratch Cost $9.95 per month and all past episodes immediately accessible through the Archive.
- The only other Major Cost Item needed to start developing the relationships with your potential customer base is a quality Auto-response E-mail mailing system. For the past 5 years I have found none better than Aweber for my need. The Support is phenomenal (real people 6 days a week) and the crew is always introducing unique NEW twists to become more effective as a Professional Marketer, especially in the most critical follow up
- Then the Time and Energy is spent Directing like minded Traffic to your sites..
Cost: YOUR Habitual Time allocation to a solid WORK ethic
So there we are…
Basics of Building a Business
- Get the Foundation
- Domain name
- Hosting
- Autoresponder
If you want to feel confident about learning the How To and receive encouragement personally from peers join our Mastermind and get involved with the Webinar
Investment, beside your time and energy,
Annual: $45 (web Hosting)+$10 (Domain Name)+ $120 (Webinar series)+ $193.80 (Autoresponder)
Total $369.00 (Amortized $30.75/month) plus the BURNING DESIRE to develop and operate the Mindset of a Business Person
Experience has shown me there usually is no need for “expensive” Courses, and Tricky Software to Create , and Build a Successful Internet Business.
So what are your Waiting For?
Let’s get together and Prosper
Disclaimer: Some of the links above will direct you to products , which if purchased will generate modest commission to me.
Other products are proprietary and will generate larger Gross compensation to me..
That is why I am in business to earn Net Income, and I hope you will soon enjoy the same benefit of being IN Charge of your Income, regardless of the Nanny State
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Having a Positive Mindset, Christmas Happiness
By Sean M | December 6, 2009
Having a Positive Mindset helps you make it even in the worst of situations. I had a situation happen to me over the weekend which brought this point home. My wife and I were getting ready to put our Christmas tree up and decorate the house this past Saturday evening, I even passed up being on the FSMM Webinar ( which is such a great business planning tool by the way) when I ran into a major problem.
I moved a chair we have in the corner of our living room to make room to put up the Christmas tree up. I then picked up a board game we had stored under the chair. When I picked up the board game I noticed the bottom of it was soaked. I did not know what was wrong at first, and felt the carpet and the entire carpet in the area was drenched.
I then began to look around to find out where the water was coming from and could 
not see any water damage on the roof or walls. It was at this point that I realized that the hot water heater was behind the wall in my wife’s closet. I made my way to the closet and after a few minutes of making my way through the jungle of clothing and shoes I found the hot water heater and in the bottom of the drain pan there was lots of water. Me and the wife began to inspect the closet and found no water in the closet just on the other side in the living room by the corner wall. It was around 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday night and we did not have a clue what to do.
My mind started to go crazy and worry about mold, how much it was going to cost, can we get a person out on the weekend, is the house going to cave in, the usual dreadful thoughts you have in a hectic situation. It was at this point I caught myself and started to think what can we do to take ACTION and fix this issue now. We looked on the internet to find out how to clean up the water, prevent mold and called a repair that night to come out on Sunday.
Now I think back to about 3 years ago before I started to read about gaining a positive mindset and began to plant the seeds of positivity in my mind. I would have gotten angry, cursed, and called everyone I knew to complain about the problem. Instead I looked at what could be the positive here. It was not long until I found a few positives to this situation.
My wife and I have been wanting to get new hardwood floors installed in our house for about 3 years but never did due to cost and the hassle of moving furniture. The repair man said we would have to replace the carpet so we went to Home Depot Sunday and bought hardwood floors and are having them installed next week. The second thing that was positive is since we are going to have all the furniture moved out of the living room we are going to have it painted something else we have been wanting to do but never did.
If you have a problem not matter how small or big there is always as positive, if you look at if from all angles. It is really in how you view the situation and what mindset you are in. Yes, I could have written on Facebook, twitter, E-mailed, and called everyone to complain about how such a horrible weekend I had. Now I am going to tell everyone I am getting new flooring and am having my living room painted. This is the McNeely’s Christmas gift to ourselves, due to a situation that I could have looked at as being tragic.
Staying positive and looking for the good in all situations is how life should be lived, not trying to find the negative in it. Turn the negative into a positive and you will be a happy more productive person. You can bring this to your business life also, sometimes bad things are going to happen but even they have a positive, if you change your point of view.
I really wanted to share this with everyone because I finally saw how far I have come in the past 3 years in mindset growth. This might seem weird to some people but for me it shows that my hard work and daily routine now turned into habits has paid off. Instead of having my weekend ruined and telling my tragic story to everyone on Monday morning. I am now looking forward to getting my house back together and our Christmas tree up next Saturday night.
Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays.
Sean McNeely
Myrtle Beach, SC
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