Tag: advertising

5 Things Every Small Business Should Know About Branding | AllBusiness.com

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The whole concept of branding is foreign to many small businesses. They view it as something that only matters in the ivory towers of global corporations.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Branding is all about making your business memorable, and it’s the small business rather than the big one that’s likely to get lost in the shuffle. Here are five core concepts that small business owners should know about branding.

1. Repetition and consistency are paramount. Any parent knows that when you say something once it seldom sinks in. And, parents who send mixed messages confuse the child … and perhaps themselves! The same dynamics apply to branding: the market needs to see the same imagery and the same message again and again and again.

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4 things marketers can learn from the Papa John’s spam lawsuit | Econsultancy

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How much does it cost to send a text message?

It’s often less than a cent if you’re a marketer sending in bulk, but U.S. pizza chain Papa John’s could be forced to pay $1,500 a pop for 500,000 text messages its franchisees sent in 2010.

A class action lawsuit alleges that the chain’s franchisees, though a third party text messaging service, sent promotional ads to consumers without their permission in violation of a 1991 law. The attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case are asking for $250m in damages, but a jury could award triple that amount if it decides that Papa John’s willfully violated the law.

While it remains to be seen just how likely an eight-figure verdict is, and it would seem that there’s a decent chance the class action will be settled before the matter is put in the hands of a jury, Papa John’s plight provides several good lessons for other marketers using SMS to reach consumers.

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24 Brilliant Beer Branding Designs | trendhunter.com

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Beer companies have started to reconsider how they approach beer branding and what that means to their bottle designs. Should a brand’s design be witty and interactive, colorful and vibrant, minimalistic and direct or original and retro? In order to win over the average consumer, these are questions that marketers and brand executives need to consider. Fortunately, several companies have made it a point to re-brand themselves and that means changing their bottle designs.

This collection of designs showcase beer companies that have used branding strategies like summer-themed graphics, bottle labels that feature a 12-part detective story, bottles designed in an elegant sleek shape and various other companies that are changing the ways in which we view and drink from a beer bottle.

Check Them Out.

Brand Management Techniques | smallbusiness.chron.com

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Brand management is vital to gaining market dominance.

Brand management involves the art of crafting and maintaining a brand image in the marketplace and of managing the product lines associated with individual brands. Marketers employ a repertoire of techniques to influence consumers’ perception of and preference for their brands. Focusing on continuous brand management can help your brand to solidify a position of dominance in your chosen industry or niche.

Industry Analysis

Analyze competing brands in your industry to determine where you would like to position your brand. Map out competitors and rank each by size, service model, reputation and target market segment. Determine how many players are serving the high end of the market and how many are serving value- or cost-conscious market segments. Determine which competitors feature full-service business models and which operate lean. Rank your competitors according to their reputation in the industry by comparing customer reviews and news articles.

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How to Conquer the Fear of Selling | BusinessNewsDaily.com

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You own your own business but you hate selling? You’re not alone. Even though being a good salesperson is essential to the success of almost every business, a lot of people feel uncomfortable about the act of selling.

“Fear comes from the unknown and it is a psychological response to a perceived threat.  You can chip away at this fear by creating a sales process and following some simple steps that give you confidence in your own skills,” said Dave Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training, a leading global sales and management training company.

Mattson proposes five steps that business owners can take to minimize their sales fear:

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Online tool connects businesses with experts for one-off advice | Springwise.com

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Connecting those with skills and those who need them is a perennial challenge in the labor marketplace, and there seem to be virtually infinite ways to make that happen. Just a few days ago we featured Beyond the School Run, which focuses on career opportunities during school hours, and since then we’ve come across KnowHowMart, an online tool now in beta that’s focused on helping skilled professionals sell their expertise to companies that need one-off advice.

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