"Branding Your Image"!

Branding in a Tough Economy

2010-07-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

In today's tough market place, you have to keep the proverbial neon sign flashing- "I am in business, I am in business, I am in business"

Keeping your brand visible, strong, positive and focused will set you apart, maybe even be the key difference in being selected verses overlooked.

Step back from your business, walk back in (mentally or physically) and review what you see with new eyes, the eyes of your prospective buyers. Does it make a statement of clean, fresh, edgy, top-of-the-line or seem raveled at the edges, sad or even desperate? Can you identify the "core value" which the business operates from- what is your primary focus and goal; does the client know it without a lot of words and explanations?

How does your "brand" confirm or deny the message?

Hard questions, harder answers which are required to send the most impactive message possible!

Cutting through the clutter and showing value starts with the first impression- your signature of who you are as a business, i.e. your brand!

Open Shut vs Open Closed

2010-02-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

I live in a neighborhood with a local coffee shop down-the-street. The proprietor signals he is ready to do business with an OPEN sign and he is done for the day when it says SHUT.
For years I had been driving by and just recently questioned the difference between being SHUT or CLOSED as most companies signal they are done for the day.
In today's market, there is a lot of difference- CLOSED seems so much more ominous and final, a signal that there is no more tomorrows to face. SHUT seems to say, not now, but check us out, we are coming back in the morning.
It maybe a little thing, but how often are we sending mixed messages about how badly we want to do business, to be the service or products provider, to be the solution to a need?
A quote attributed to Henry Ford says, “Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping a clock to save time." Maybe another way to say it is, "Stopping advertising is like saying you are CLOSED and expect business to continue."
Look for a brighter tomorrow; find ways to send a message of encouragement, stability and professionalism- you and your brand deserve the difference!

Branding Your Business Personality: Trends of 2010 - December 2009

2009-12-22T13:06:00.001-08:00

Although personal branding is not a new concept it has become of such importance that by the end of 2010 all companies would have to have built a strategy of defining and defending their image. Your brand is your face and your competitive advantage.

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Tough Economy- 8 Marketing Truisms

2009-10-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

The following article offers some practical and needed reminders as to how to keep your brand alive in today's marketplace-

There's no question about it. Times are tough. The economy is taking its toll on businesses large and small, which means it's time to redouble your marketing efforts to stay competitive in your industry. In an effort to help, we're presenting eight marketing truisms from past issues of inSights to help you navigate these difficult economic times — or spur some ideas of your own.

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How To Get Your Business Noticed Without going Broke-All For Free

2009-10-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Recently I caught an article that simply outlined 10 ideas to keep your business infront of your clients- check it out below.

If you have a quality product or services, it is easier than you think to get your business noticed...

And all for FREE!

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Does the Brand Matter in Today's Tight Economy?

2009-09-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

One impact of the burst bubble of our economy seems to be, "what the bottomline" thinking or ""is that the best you can do?!"
So one has to ask, does the brand, logo or company matter any more?

YOU BET YA!
The old adage is still true, "fast, cheap, quality- pick two and call me."
You can't have it all, and when the dust settles quality still reigns supreme. Just watch the new GM ads, they understand brand is important and are trying to reintroduce themselves into a jaded market.

Regardless of the economy, which will respond soon enough, don't lose your focus, your Company pride- tout your brand, the history and future goals-
it still sells!

Break Through Your Competition’s Noise and Be Heard

2009-08-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

A simple message to help you break the noise in today's market-

"With so many ads and messages bombarding consumers everyday, it’s no surprise that a lot of business owners and marketers get frustrated that they’re marketing collaterals such as their door hangers don’t get the results they expect. Breaking through all that clutter is very hard to do indeed, especially if you don’t have a strong message to offer your target clients."

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To Market or Not to Market- is it even a question?

2009-08-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

There is a debate as to who said the following, either Henry Ford or Thomas Jefferson- regardless the truth remains. "The man who stops advertising to save money, is like the man who stops the clock to save time."

If the pundits are correct, that the recession ended last month and things should get brighter, means branding IS A MUST TODAY! Refreshing your brand, getting it in front of clients can mean life or death to many companies. Image crossing the Sahara desert and getting within a mile from the start of the green hills and mountains, but dying of thirst- to have traveled so far and still lose is a travesty.
Many businesses are holding back, or even stopping the marketing which maybe the needed trickle which will enable them to reach their goals. It doesn't have to be expensive, in fact the Advertising Industry did a study and found a logo'd pen has more value and visibilty than any other item. Inexpensive pens may gain dollars!

We at NDS value each relationship and want to be your choice for any branded needs- visit us at www.nds-solutions.com for ideas~ say you saw us on our blog and receive an additional 10% off any new order!

Behold the Power of Facebook For Business

2009-07-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Branding keeps evolving and the impact of social networking is making its mark- checkout this great article.

With Facebook’s more than 55 million active users, it would be a tragic oversight for a company not to have a public presence on the site in some capacity. Facebook offers more than a way to keep up with friends – it has the ability to keep you in touch with your clients, gain attention for your brand and provide a more personal face for your business.

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Social Networking and Brand Image

2009-07-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, the 2009 wave of electronic communication has hit with a BANG! Just watching the nightly news one sees the impact of Twitter as images out of Iran cross the screen.
Who hasn't been hit with a "friend request" from Facebook!?

It seems if you want to show-up as a healthly and vibrant company or individual you have to be electronically connected on the Net.

As they say, "perception is reality"- so to that end you can follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ndslogoman or visit on Facebook at NDS-Solutions.

15 Foolproof Ideas for Promoting Your Company

2009-06-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Check out this great article from the Small Business Administration:

Every successful company uses some sort of promotion to influence certain audiences -usually customers or prospects - by informing or persuading them. Reasons for promoting a business include: increasing visibility, adding credibility to you or your company, enhancing or improving your image, and bringing in new business.

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Keep A Positive Brand Image During a Recession

2008-11-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

Building a strong and positive brand image is vital to business success in any economic climate.

During an economic downturn, a good brand reputation could be a matter of your company survival. When times are hard, people prefer to do business with others whom they know and trust, even more than when the economy is strong. What people think of your brand and its promise are essential to that trust.

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Twelve Ways to Improve Your Corporate Brand

2008-09-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

What makes a great brand? You know it when you see it; you think, Now there is a company that has its act together. You know it when you have a sense that this is the kind of company you’d like to own or do business with.

Every company has a brand. Interestingly the best corporate brands don’t always come from the largest companies. Sometimes the smallest company can make the biggest impression. Understanding that your brand can be managed is the first big step in turning your brand into cash.

By James R. Gregory
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Brand Your Business- Why you need it and how to afford it!

2008-07-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

Make Your Brand Pop

2008-06-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's all about getting noticed. No matter how good your product or service, if no one knows about it, no one will be buying it. So it's worth putting some extra effort into those things that carry the image of your company out into the wider world and say "this is who we are" to potential customers. For many businesses, that means taking a new look at their brand. "You need to focus on those places where most people are going to first encounter your brand -- not in paid ads, but on business cards, your brochures, and your Web site,"

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How to Build Brand Friendship

2008-05-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

To create a truly powerful brand, you need to establish a sense of belonging, friendship, and dependability between product and customers.

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Branding Research: Which Strategy Will Ensure Success?

2007-11-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

Branding Research: Which Strategy Will Ensure Success?

How much value does your existing brand lend to the future of your company? The answer to this question is vital to business success, and fortunately—the answer can be found through research. Determining your current brand equity and improving brand value is the ultimate goal. Even if you already have a strong brand, it is important to maintain its qualities.

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The Brand Called You

2007-10-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's a new brand world.

That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive swoosh on the side tells everyone who's got you branded. That coffee travel mug you're carrying -- ah, you're a Starbucks woman! Your T-shirt with the distinctive Champion "C" on the sleeve, the blue jeans with the prominent Levi's rivets, the watch with the hey-this-certifies-I-made-it icon on the face, your fountain pen with the maker's symbol crafted into the end ...

You're branded, branded, branded, branded.

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Building Your Brand

2007-09-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

Branding is more than just a business buzzword. It has become the crux of selling in the new economy. If the old marketing mantra was," Nothing happens until somebody sells something," the new philosophy could be" Nothing happens until somebody brands something."

In its simplest form, a brand is a noun. It is the name attached to a product or service. However, upon close inspection, a brand represents many more intangible aspects of a product or service: a collection of feelings and perceptions about quality, image, lifestyle and status. It creates in the mind of customers and prospects the perception that there is no product or service on the market that is quite like yours. In short, a brand offers the customer a guarantee and then delivers on it.
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What does your company stand for?

2007-07-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

By Joanna L. Krotz
It's everywhere you want to be.

Business gets easier when you have a recognizable brand. Think about BMW or Burger King, for example. All you need do is mention the names and millions of people throughout the world have an immediate perception and expectation of what that company stands for. There's an emotional connection between the customer and the company name.

With a strong brand, you don't have to sell nearly as long or as hard. Customers know what you stand for before the pitch or proposal.

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The Brand Called You

2007-05-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here's what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.

Today brands are everything, and all kinds of products and services -- from accounting firms to sneaker makers to restaurants -- are figuring out how to transcend the narrow boundaries of their categories and become a brand surrounded by a Tommy Hilfiger-like buzz.

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Over-Promise Your Way to the Top

2007-04-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

How can you make your products irresistible? Make outrageous claims--and then deliver on them. This branding expert tells you why you should and how.

The old cliché in business is that you should under-promise and over-deliver. But in a crowded marketplace, under-promising is a one-way ticket to oblivion. Because consumers and businesses are moving and shopping at warp speed these days, they won't slow down long enough to fully understand your under-promise. To grab their attention, you must over-promise.

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Don't Dare Brand Your Business because you may lose!

2007-03-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

Are you giving your profits away? Is your business online - Do you realize how valuable an online presence is? It is 24/7 'inexpensive' advertising for your business. Thousands of buyers could be overlooking your business shopping cart if you are missing important information on your website.

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Tips on Media Branding: Behavior and Color

2007-03-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

These days, you can no sooner operate your business without computers and their software than you can without people. Your company may sell auto parts, vacuum cleaners, or fine wine, but if you have a Web site or B2B e-commerce system, you’d better believe you’re in the software business, too. Because of its increasingly significant impact on your company’s brand, the quality of software’s behavior is a crucial factor in your organization’s success.
Until recently, relatively few companies had fully recognized the significance that software and other technology-based products can have on brand.

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Brands With Character

2007-02-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

For better and, often, worse, characters have become a staple of consumer marketing. A great one--the Pillsbury Doughboy, for example--can help tell a brand's story, sparking interest and long-term loyalty. But how to bring that character to life?

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Another take on Branding Your Business

2007-02-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Branding is the process of creating a specific strong, memorable image and identity for your business. Besides utilizing good design and media that will help sell your product or service and stick in consumers' minds, a good brand should inspire loyalty and confidence in your company by emoting specific responses and associations in your target audience.
To Read More of this article by Michael Millhollen

Developing Your Brand Strategy

2007-01-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

8-Week Online Marketing Course Developing a brand strategy can be one of the most difficult steps in the marketing plan process. It's often the element that causes most businesses the biggest challenge, but it's a vital step in creating the company identity.
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Branding Your Business

2007-01-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Learn how to make your small business a big name.
Q: I hear a lot about "branding," but I'm not sure what it means. Do I have to be concerned about it as a small-business owner?

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Evolving your brand

2006-12-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Although you may have a brand, your brand needs to evolve with your business. As your business matures, so should your brand. Evolving your brand does not mean changing your brand. It means you should consider refreshing, updating, or clarifying the image you use and the emotion it projects. If you have had the same logo for several years, talk with a designer to see if you can update its look without changing the overall image it projects. If you don't have a logo, consider having one developed.To Read More

Target Your Brand

2006-12-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Good brand management is the crux of the business model, driving the strategy behind the experience you provide the customer. It begins with understanding what your institution currently means to customers (brand identity) and what you want it to mean (brand aspiration). While plenty of organizations know how they want to be viewed, what mental space they want to capture, staying true to the brand aspiration in every aspect of the customer experience—from graphics to service to collection—is what separates those that succeed from those that are merely ambitious.

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Why is Branding Important?

2006-11-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

"Branding" is more than one of those buzzwords that all the high-powered marketers drop into conversation so that you think they're clever. Branding is a very important part of website promotion.

The goal of branding is to end up with the name of your product, service or website foremost in everyone's mind.

Just think of the Cola wars -- Coke and Pepsi both spend an obscene amount of money every year trying to become the dominant brand. Many of their ads don't even try to sell the product -- they simply sell the brand and try to create "brand awareness."

Even the word "branding" has its origins long before the arrival of modern media. . .To Read More

Why Care About Branding?

2006-11-15T17:49:00.000-08:00

Brands are for the big guys, right? Proctor & Gamble, General Motors, Starbucks, Gap, Trump. Wrong! If you have a business, you have a brand. If you have a career, you are the brand. Anyone out there in any market of any kind has a brand. It may be making you money, or losing you money, but your brand is there.

So what exactly is a brand? Many people confuse branding with graphic design. I still have clients come to me saying, "Can you design us a brand?" They are asking for a logo, and my response is always what I call the First Law of Branding. Your brand is not your logo. Is your nationality a flag? Of course not! It is something deep within you that everyone who knows you immediately recognizes. The flag is just a symbol for that invisible but very important "something."

Your brand is what you mean to the people who know you. It's what first comes to mind when they hear your company name. It's the thought, the feeling, the image that you own in their heads. Brand identification happens in a split second. Just think of James or Julie or Diane or Pete. In other words, think of someone you know and watch how quickly you summon up their presence in your mind. The same mental imagery happens when you call to mind McDonalds or Porsche or Gap. Those brands are already installed in your brain, like cookies on your computer. When they are mentioned, they activate your feelings about them.

What happens in that split second is largely subconscious, nonverbal, and emotional. It is enormously powerful because most buying decisions are subconsciously and emotionally driven, even in the cold hard world of business-to-business marketing. That is why branding is so important.

The Second Law of Branding follows. The brand drives the buying decision. A great brand for any size of market forges a bond with its audience. It makes a connection deep inside people. That bond is in place for the moment when the need arises, and out comes the credit card.

Think of your brand as a magnetic force. It may attract, or it may repel. Designing a powerful brand strategy means building a force field around your company or product (or you!) that draws people in -- specifically the people most likely to buy what you have to offer.
by Jon Ward
http://donaldtrump.trumpuniversity.com/default.asp?item=160763

Branding Your Website Business Can Make You or Break You

2006-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Branding is psychological. Look what would happen if your the favorite chewing gum changed its label. Probably won't taste the same right?
Branding your business should not be expensive or hard to do. You want to make a clear statement about your brand with images, slogans, packaging or otherwise. You want to use your mark whenever possible. Letterheads, on your website, outgoing emails, advertising and invoices. Use your image in the left hand corner when ever possible.
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4 Elements of a Winning Brand

2006-10-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

When it comes to your image, are you hitting hard or striking out? Cover all your bases with these 4 critical elements of a winning brand.
By Kim T. Gordon

What instantly springs to mind when customers hear your company name? If you're uncertain--or even worse, stuck with a less-than-stellar image--it's time to give your brand an overhaul. It's no coincidence that industry leaders in every category from soft drinks to spas toil endlessly to create some of the world's most recognized brands. But it doesn't have to cost millions or take years to put your company's branding efforts on track. Just follow these four guidelines to create a winning brand image.
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Branding- the need to be consistent.

2006-10-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

It is said that image is everything, and for successful businesses today- that's the truth. Consumers buy from those they trust, recognize and have a affinity toward. Your logo, your brand creates that feeling or impression which gives your clients security and comfort when they choose to spend their time and money in your establishment.
Carefully monitor how your brand is portrayed, create standards of use of your logo- is it allowed in any color, on any item. Many companies have established a rule- if it, their logo or brand is reproduced in color, it has to be accurate to the original version. Any uses outside of the full reproduction are run in a one color format, i.e., all white, all black or all the color of choice.
For example the NDS logo above is a three color product, black, purple and silver or grey. It is either run in that combination or all of one color.
A decision for brand consistency will help create the image you want and avoid any non-verbal confusion in your customers mind.
Remember, "branding is who you are!"

It's All About the Brand

2006-10-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's a fact: Brand-name incentive awards have a higher perceived value than other rewards. Here's how to pump up your motivational programs by leveraging the top name brands.

Got Gap? How about Coach, Sony or Panasonic? The truth is, if your incentive program isn't made up of at least some brand-name rewards, it may flounder. So says Arnold Light, CEO and founder of White Plains, NY-based The Light Group, an incentive firm that's been in the business for 25 years: "Incentive winners want brand names," Light says. "If the reward is a brand that the recipients don't know, you'll risk them saying, "This is a piece of junk!" To Read More

Branding your logo, your signature to the world!

2006-09-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Your logo- the image that can make the difference between being noticed or lost in the din of the crowded marketplace.

If your company is a household name, a logo may not make a significant difference, i.e. Kleenex, Xerox or even Google. For most businesses, their image or brand is defined by their logo, the image that they believe best represents who they are.

Logo's are made-up of colors, shapes or fonts (the letters that make the name). For example a color-"Big blue" has been the description of IBM, UPS is now called "brown", but they are also know for their specific font. AT&T developed the blue globe, a shape that signifies their worldwide commitment.

As a business, your logo becomes your image- your signature on all interactions. It should appear on any portal to your company. It proudly launches your web interface, stands strong on all snail mail correspondence, ushers in your proposals and reconfirms the interaction with your clients on all bills and statements.

Avoid confusing changes in look or design, carefully guard the use of color and "creative" manipulation- being too "cute" will only dilute your brand and it's impressions that make you (and it) memorable.The proper use of your logo is not limited to print or electronic imaging, it extends to your gifts and apparel items. I'll discuss these areas in the future.

NDS is your partner for consistent brand management- "because it's who you are!"

Local & World Marketing Looks at Branding

2006-09-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Going global with a brand is one of the key issues facing brand managers today. But how do they ensure that their brand realizes its full potential as it stretches across multiple cultures and markets?

Who You Are Is What People See !

2006-09-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Who Am I? How Do I look? What Do Others Think?

Branding - Defining Yourself by Tim Wren

Careful branding, and subsequent strategizing and application, can result in increased sales, more customers and an ability to increase the value and, therefore, the pricing of your products. Successful branding compaigns combine relevancy, consistency and awareness.

Welcome to Branding Your Image!

2006-09-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

NDS is your partner to "Branding your Image" and making you look Good~ NO GREAT! Specializing in print and promotional products. CLICK HERE - look Good !

"How do we look?"