All Posts Tagged With: "branding"

Branding is one of those nebulous marketing concepts that everyone seems to define differently. Thanks to a fast-paced and entertaining presentation by Marty Neumeier of the San Francisco-based brand consultancy Neutron, LCC, branding comes into a bit more focus. A few key points he makes:

Let’s start off with what branding is NOT:
• A logo
• An identity
• A product

Definition: A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization.

It’s not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is.

Why is branding so hot?
• Because people have so many choices and too little time.
• Most offerings have similar quality and features.
• We tend to base our buying choices on trust.
• Trust equals reliability and delight. Trust comes from meeting and beating customer expectations.

Here is Marty’s full presentation.

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The other day, I was checking out the InfoUSA.com website on behalf of a client who is thinking about doing a modest direct mail campaign. After choosing criteria and generating a mailing list, I had to register on the company’s website to get a price quote.

I filled out the short form and hit the submit button. At that precise moment, my phone rang. Wouldn’t it be something, I joked with him, if it was InfoUSA calling to welcome me to their database.

Alas, that wasn’t the case.

However, five minutes later I did receive a call from InfoUSA welcoming me and assuring me I would receive personalized attention if I needed it. It made me feel welcomed and appreciated. As a new customer, it made me feel confident that I will be able to get help.

In these tough times, successful marketing is all about relationships. It doesn’t have to be expensive ad campaigns or elaborate branding efforts, although those sure are helpful. For InfoUSA, all it took was a simple timely phone call from a cheerful voice to get our relationship off to a flying start.

Popularity: 21% [?]