I was reminded this past week, on a few different occasions, that the art of positioning is based on the ability to narrow focus and to let go. In a meeting with a new client who was struggling to clearly define the services his company provided and to whom, it became clear that his biggest challenge was in positioning. In his attempt to be more service-oriented and have greater reach, the company tried to become too many things to too many types of customers, and the brand lost relevance.
It’s the end of August, often thought of as a slow time for advisors and consultants –– and, well, business in general, as people take vacations and prepare for school. Interestingly, this year, we haven’t really noticed a let up. Networking events have been packed to the gills, clients have been calling with new projects, and we all seem to be busy. Even some of the lucky few who have been able to get away manage to answer emails or take calls. One colleague joked that he wasn’t in a hurry for a proposal because he had one more day to collect sand between his toes (yet he responded to my email in record time). So we’re on vacation, but are we really on vacation?
Company ABC is a tech consulting firm in the secure government contracting space that promotes a fundraising event for a highly respected, well run charity for rehabilitating soldiers injured abroad. The veteran owners and many of their clients care passionately about the cause, and the thousands of dollars they contribute directly impact those in need of immediate assistance. Their contribution fills a vast funding deficit and gives the charity a much needed financial boost. And, it serves as an expression of Company ABC’s brand. They pride themselves on their integrity, reputation and transparency, and their commitment to their clients, country and community is evident in their brand from the way they provide services to the way they demonstrate giving back.
Ten “can’t miss” dos and don’ts when naming a business.Choosing a business name is one of the most important tasks when starting, growing or changing a business. Not only is it part of that first impression you make among your audience, but it, along with your logo, is the heart of your brand. Your brand is all about how you connect and then are perceived – so your name needs to be descriptive, inspiring, and relatable, and needs to evoke positive feelings, or at least curiosity.
There was a great article on creativity in Fast Company magazine recently. It was written by John Cleese of Monty Python fame. The legendary writer, actor, comedian has become a well-known student and speaker on creativity and how to cultivate it. It’s a wonderful article that will get you thinking, and maybe even give you justification to let go a bit, as he cites the power of the unconscious mind being vastly important not only in creative matters but effective decision making in complex situations.
I’ve been reading some great books on entrepreneurship, business consulting, and the new rules of PR, marketing and social media in this incredibly connected world we’re in. Business is different. The climate has shifted. One really can start a business on a shoe string, or invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to help it grow. Both are viable. Some of the smaller companies are even doing it better than their larger, more established counterparts within the same space.
I recently conducted a workshop on how important your brand is within the social media arena, particularly when your business focuses on selling a concept, service or other intangible. This particular workshop happened to be for churches, but they are not unlike many of the businesses we advise, who sell consulting, advice, conceptual services or ideas. Let’s face it, churches are probably among the most conceptual of all, promoting not only events and services, but an ideology.
Content marketing is nothing new. If you are a company that consults or advises, or deals with “selling the invisible,” you may already be considered a thought leader and have a paper trail of articles, speeches and case studies that you’ve shared with clients. But are you consistently producing and distributing material that is useful and engaging to your target audience? Are you seeing results in organic search or social media efforts?
In the wake of topical storm Lee, there were flash floods throughout Maryland on Wednesday, September 7, 2011. Ellicott City ‘s Main Street became a river. After evacuating our office, we posted some footage of the action happening right outside our office. (In this video, you can actually see the entrance to our office with near foot-high water when the camera pans to the left of the big black truck.) The footage was taken from a bystander’s phone and then posted to You Tube.
The sky is blue and air is warm, and there’s just a little bit of true summer left to enjoy. Hopefully you’ve had some downtime, while still keeping up with the important marketing and business tasks at hand. But with the slower summer days coming to an end, how can one best prepare for the busy pace that always comes in early September? Here’s our checklist:
Take the “no-header test.” Go to your website and scroll down so that the header is out of view of the browser window. Now take a look at what’s left. Is it easy to tell what your company does? Will a first-time visitor to your site know what you do, have any sense about what makes you unique, or care? Now put the header back in. Uh-oh, that might not help either?! Here’s the point: you have about six to eight seconds to make an impression, which means you need to give visitors something to latch on to right away so that they will continue to learn more. If they can’t even discern what it is you do, there’s a problem.
Insight180 would like to welcome Michelle Loeb to our team. Michelle will be interning with us over the summer, and we are happy to have her on board. Michelle is a recent graduate from University of Baltimore’s School of Communications Design and has an interest in marketing and advertising. She is especially looking forward to working on some brand research and content strategy for both insight180 and some of our clients.
