Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Category: Branding, Marketing, Advertising

  • What is a Branding Person and Why Does Your Business Need One?

    Recently, I sat down with a new client for a branding consult. She came to me because her business coach said she needed it. But she said, “What the hell is a branding person?” Good Question. Let’s break it down.

    Most people think that a logo is your brand. It’s only part of it.

    “So, is your logo your brand? This is a great question (and likely another blog post). Branding is bigger than your logo. So, yes, your logo is part of your brand. But, it isn’t the only way your brand is expressed.”  Rhonda Negard

    What is branding?

    You’re now entering the subjective zone. You’ll find as many answers to this question as you find branding consultants.

    Although the etymology of branding is varied, we can all imagine a rancher using a hot iron to brand his livestock. Each ranch had a distinct logo that made a permanent impression. Though originally intended to distinguish ownership, the logo reflected on the rancher, whether good or bad.

    In many ways, branding is the connection of your sensual experiences to your company. People remember how they feel about you (affinity) and that is reflected back on the brand in the form of loyalty — and buying power.

    Branding is the persona your business has consisting of logo, colors, and reputation which all affect and reflect consumer affinity and loyalty. Share on X

    My good friend Robert Nissenbaum says,

    “Branding is the practice of creating the look and ‘feel’ of your brand. Brand marketing is the practice of establishing your image, voice, and persona which identifies and differentiates you from your competitors.”

    What is a Branding Person?

    A branding person can be anything from a graphic designer who creates both the brand design and sometimes also brand standards document. Your brand standards has your logo, color palette, fonts, and usage, to a person or company who protects your reputation online. And that can range from brandyourself.com to identity protection.

    If you need a brand standards document, I recommend the following people, Jayman Pandya, Chris Ford, and Cheryl & Sherie LaPrade, and Rhonda Negard.

    A branding consultant advises you about marketing strategy and tactics.

    What’s My Elevator Pitch?

    While venting on Facebook about needing to work on my elevator pitch I got a few suggestions. One of them was from Chris Lema.

    “Hi I’m Bridget Willard and I help companies with their online brand and reputation management by taking care of both social media monitoring and posting. I help your online brand by reinforcing your differentiated value on the social channels that are right for your business and your prospects.”

    Sarah Pressler wrote: “Listen, I create magic. There’s no other way to put it.”

    A branding person is someone who understands the voice and tonality that you would like to project to the public. A branding person emulates that voice, replicates that voice, and protects it.

    A branding person may even be a guide to your own self-awareness, helping you figure out what really is important to you and what values you’d like to elevate.

    A branding person helps your business find its voice to harness your power, to elevate your brand. It's that simple. Share on X

    Why do you need a branding consultant?

    A branding person is more like a counselor in my view. Their job is to help you dig out of your person the essence of your passion. You’re too close. You’ve talked to too many of your friends. You have lost objectivity. You may have lost focus.

    This is why many business coaches suggest meeting with a branding person. A brand is a persona — an organic, living thing. It needs life. A branding person gives your persona life. And life needs to be protected.

    A branding person helps you find yourself in the brand. It's very similar to a counselor. Share on X

    Can’t you just wing it?

    You can. But you’ll fail and in a hard way.

    People who wing it, without boundaries, are likely to fall prey to trending hashtags. They are easily distracted by the lure of humor. Not to mention starting endless projects that are so scattered that the company lacks focus — inwardly and outwardly.

    [caldera_form id=”CF59e795482d092″]

    Denise Johnson

  • Protect Your Brand. It’s Not a Joke.

    Humor. It’s tricky in person — with your intonation, delivery, and body language. It’s even more precarious when it’s written. Your brand isn’t a joke, don’t treat it like one.

    It’s tempting to react to political news from your brand on Twitter. Unless your brand is Saturday Night Live, don’t do it. You’ll be fueling trolls and undermining your brand. It’s your brand. Protect it.

    KFC and Nuclear Buttons

    I rarely call people out. In this case, I’m doing it. Firstly, I grew up at the end of the cold war and don’t find nuclear jokes funny. Secondly, the situation in North Korea is serious. Thirdly, regardless of the behavior of the current President (who frankly embarrasses me), your brand should be above that.

    Tweet:

    Sure, at the time of this screenshot (in my tweet below), 6 hours in, KFC got 606 comments, 24,000 impressions and 49,000 likes. It’s a mistake.

    The fact that KFC is calling itself KFC instead of Kentucky Fried Chicken shows that they have a history of branding issues. They had to fight fried food, are they really going to alienate the demographic that mostly enjoys it? Seriously. I’m a Republican. I get it. Let’s be serious.

    In fact, I’d argue that the cheap laugh and blog posts that will be written on Mashable, Tech Crunch, and BuzzFeed might be worth it for a day for attention. But will it help sales? I doubt it.

    Your brand isn't a joke. Don't treat it like one. Use restraint with current trends. Share on X

    The Danger of Trending Hashtags

    The same advice goes for Trending Hashtags. Lazy social media managers try to jump on a trend. If you don’t totally understand why the trend is happening, you have another “Why I Stayed” scandal.

    Don't fall for easy. If you don't understand the hashtag, do not use it. It's that simple. Share on X

    People make mistakes because of inexperience and a lack of discretion. They don’t think things out strategically and see how it will affect their brand. This is why you should never hire a cheap Social Media Manager.

    It’s Your Responsibility to Protect Your Brand

    Your brand is your reputation. It’s all you have sometimes when funds are light. It’s your job to protect it and assemble a team of people who have the same vision.

    Levi Saunders

  • What is the Best Platform for B2B? The X Platform (Twitter). Hands Down.

    If your customers are other small businesses then business-to-business (B2B) marketing should be your focus. What platform should is best for B2B marketing? Hands down, it’s Twitter.

    Twitter is more than pop culture and politics. When used effectively for small business, it serves several marketing purposes: brand awareness, public relations, listening, content curation, and relationship building. Bonus: Twitter also helps with SEO!

    Twitter is for Brand Awareness

    Brand awareness is high-level, less-tangible, and difficult to measure. It’s almost a word-association game.

    I say “tissue;” you say “Kleenex.” I say “photocopy;” you say “Xerox.” I say groceries, you say “H.E.B.” (Am I right, San Antonio?)

    You want your brand to be able to be associated with your purpose. Recognition of your business logo — or headshot — on Twitter allows your small business to compete with the bigger companies. The big guys rarely invest in social media; don’t make their mistakes.

    Twitter levels the playing field when it comes to brand awareness. Are you using it? Share on X

    Twitter is for Public Relations

    Your small business has news; people want to know it. Share all of your news on Twitter. Not in a Press Release, but with tweets linking to your blog posts.

    What would you share? Promotions, product sales, new ventures, employees that join in, new partnerships, and case studies are all perfect to Tweet.

    People will always talk about you even if you aren’t on Twitter. Being ahead of the message is PR 101; do this on Twitter. Be proactive.

    This is why consistent publishing on your WordPress blog is vital. Write articles about anything relevant to your audience. Then promote the article on Twitter — a few different ways. Every brand has the ability to publish and gain influence and audience.

    I specifically designed a content planner and ebook to help you through this process. There’s also my free WordPress Plugin: Launch With Words and the starter pack to help give you blogging prompts. But I digress.

    How do you promote your events and announce products? Share on X

    Twitter is for Listening

    Listening is the most powerful thing a B2B business can do with Twitter. It’s important to understand who your audience is and what they want, need, and how they think. Seriously, people talk about themselves on Twitter all day long. You know what bands they like, who they’re voting for, what airlines upset them, and if they’re dating or looking for a job. Have you been listening to your audience?

    Marketing personas are essentially stereotypes. When’s the last time you updated your company’s personas? Instead of relying solely on a marketing persona based upon “Bob,” you can actually see what Bob is tweeting about and update that persona. Bob from 10 years ago liked IPAs; now he collects wine. Time to update the “Bob” persona.

    Using Twitter Lists to Listen allows you to:

    • Pain points.
    • Correcting personas.
    • Responding.
    • Engaging.
    • Focus Group.
    When you listen to your audience, you can correct your buyer personas. Share on X

    Twitter is for Content Curation

    Once you’ve built your lists, you are ready to curate content to enhance relationship building for your B2B business. We all know that B2B is all about relationships. Share blog posts from the people on your Twitter lists in parallel industries. Are you a beauty brand? Share fashion tips? Are you a cremation service? Share information on life insurance. Reciprocation is powerful. You’ve helped promote other businesses and found good content. This is a win-win.

    While managing social media accounts for my clients, the Twitter curation process is how I source articles and posts for their LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram business accounts.

    The tools I use to curate content are simple.

    It’s about people; not tools. I’m a People Curator — a People Broker, I say. I curate content by curating people. This is why building lists and paying attention to those audiences is effective in your B2B marketing.

    Are you only tweeting about yourself and your business? That isn't social. Share on X

    Twitter is for Relationship Building — Perfect for B2B

    All business happens because of referrals (word of mouth) and none more so than B2B. We live and die by referrals. Think back to the last time you got a new client. How did you acquire them?

    Think of the last time you found a new service. Did you search for them online? Google? Yelp?

    Almost no one does business with a total stranger. Use Twitter to build relationships. Reply to people. Engage. You won’t regret it.

    Relationships follow you throughout your career. They follow brands, too. Start chatting with people today. Share on X

    Updated March 20, 2022

  • Why Does Branding Matter To Your Business?

    A brand isn’t a logo. It isn’t even the color scheme. Branding is your behavior. Period. Well, it’s debatable, especially when I’m chatting with Rhonda Negard of Fat Dog Creatives.

    Marketers like to talk about branding as if it were a magic word an SEO professional would use that you know is important but don’t fully understand. (This is why you hire an SEO professional.)

    Now, you should have good branding as in the logo, font pairings, and color selections. If you don’t, then talk to Rhonda Negard. Her work is amazing. Check out the case study of her logos design for a professional with B.S. as their initials.

    What is branding?

    Branding is listening to a thirty-year old Michael Jackson song on the radio and recognizing the Eddie Van Halen guitar solo.

    Branding is making a decision between using a restroom at a gas station or the restroom at a Starbucks.

    Branding is being reminded of your beloved uncle when you smell pipe tobacco with a hint of cherry.

    Is Branding A Logo?

    Yes and no.

    In many ways, branding is the connection of your sensual experiences. When I see a Diet Coke can, I become thirsty. Why? I remember the feel of a cold can in my hands, the sound the can makes when it pops open, the tickle down my throat, and the taste afterward. All of those memories are tied into the Diet Coke logo.

    Human history is full of seals, rings, flags, coats of arms, and crests used to distinguish families, tribes, and nations. The human condition is curious; as much as we long for group acceptance, we still desire to be distinct and recognized.

    Although the etymology of branding is varied, we can all imagine a rancher using a hot iron to brand his livestock. Each ranch had a distinct logo that made a permanent impression. Though originally intended to distinguish ownership, the logo reflected on the rancher, whether good or bad.

    A Logo is Your Behavior

    Your behavior as a company will be associated with your logo. Always. In this regard, the branding is the logo and the logo is the brand.

    In my presentation, “You Are What You Tweet,” I gave the example that the Caltrop logo had no meaning to me until I met one of their employees, Mark DeSio.

    When you have a relationship with a person, the logo has meaning. Share on X

    In our day, branding makes a permanent impression, too. These impressions are based upon a person’s experience interacting with your company (brand) and there’s only so much of it you can control. With the introduction of social media, individual impressions gain a much greater audience.

    “Every employee is your brand ambassador, your marketer, and the face of your company.” Scott Stratten: The Book of Business Awesome

    Case in point. Twenty years ago I went to a pancake restaurant and there were cockroaches crawling on the table. Regardless of how many coupons they offer, how many all-you-can-eat pancake events they hold, I will never go to any of their restaurants again. That one experience made a lasting impression. Their advertising (branding) is no longer effective with me. My experience at their store made a permanent impression (branding).

    Big brands, like Diet Coke, are often used as an example because we all recognize them, making the lesson relatable to a diverse audience.

    How is online behavior branding?

    The question always is: how will that translate for me and my business on social media?

    The largest way you can impact your brand — your company’s reputation — is to have consistent behavior with your why. Any time that deviates, you have cognitive dissonance, which is a completely different blog post.

    It’s simple.

    Are you ready?

    Behave online the way you would want to be perceived.

    [bctt tweet=”In the end, regardless of your color scheme, your branding is your behavior. It’s that simple.” username=”bridgetmwillard”

    If you want people to think that you’re professional, behave professionally. If you want people to believe you do quality work, produce quality content.

  • Good at strategy? Great. Do the work. Be a practitioner.

    It’s great to be a strategist. Heck, it’s a higher-paying job. But it’s dangerous to be too far away from tactics — especially since they change so often in tech. To be better at the work, you have to do the work.

    A coder can’t understand overall strategy without an intimacy with the code he’s proficient in, or better yet, understanding trends in codebases. A mechanic would not be able to shape and evolve his business if he doesn’t understand how much time an oil change should take.

    Most small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs are also practitioners. It’s not degrading to your role to do the work. So why do I hear myself saying this so often?

    Do the Work.

    Jason Knill and I shape organic and paid advertising at GiveWP along with my traditional content marketing goals like blog posts and email marketing. We look at trends, we talk about insights from in-person meetings, Meetups, Twitter, WordCamps, and other people’s news. We bring a “mental rigor and curiosity,” as he calls it, to our work with GiveWP.

    Lately, we’ve been having a conversation around craft. Why do so many people in our industry enjoy making craft beer? Why are people in tech turning to knitting, gardening, or even fishing?

    It’s about short-term satisfaction and accomplishment.

    So often our work has long-term results. It’s no different with strategy. To craft a strategy and then wait for results takes faith — faith in the process, faith in the forecasting, faith in the tactics.

    Waiting for results takes faith — in the process, in the forecasting, in the tactics. Share on X

    So why do so many people shy away from tactics and stick with strategy?

    The only reason I can come up with is job protection.

    Protecting The Boundaries of Your Job Title

    Being a Marketing Manager means thinking strategically. That’s a closely-guarded job title. I’ve had friends say they won’t do “x, y, or z” because it devalues their job title. I’ve also been told that I’m acting like a “Social Media Manager” as if it’s more degrading than a “Marketing Manager.”

    Hey, I get it. In this world, regardless of how far we’ve come, a woman usually only gains salary increases by switching jobs. It’s sad from the point of diversity, feminism, and, I hate to say it, company culture.

    I recently read this post called “6 Reasons Why You Are Losing Key Employees” on LinkedIn by Bärí A. Williams. She brings up a valid point about salary history:

    “If two people with the same experience and education are hired as peers, are their titles and pay equal? Because people of color and women are often underpaid, even when moving companies or switching roles, they lose out of money based on salary history. Assuring that rank and pay are fair helps keep people of color and women from being under-leveled and underpaid.” Bärí A. Williams

    Consequences of Status Protection

    Before I digress too far away from my point of “doing the work,” there is something we should think about in this vein.

    If “it’s not my job” prevails any company culture, what you’ll have is an employee who is looking to transition to any good offer that presents itself. This will happen either consciously or subconsciously.

    What you’ve lost is bigger than the time you’ve invested in said employee.

    You’ve lost loyalty.

    A loss in loyalty affects the entire company culture. People watch how Employee X is treated. They will pick up on cognitive dissonance. They will come to the conclusion that if Employee X isn’t valued, maybe they’re not either.

    But I digress. The point is that no matter the reason you think you should protect the boundaries of your job title, being too far away from tactics affects strategy.

    What is the difference between strategy and tactics?

    Strategy is tied to goals. Where do you want to be? What would you like to achieve in a certain timeframe.

    Strategy is the plan — 30 days, 120 days, 1 year.

    Think of it in terms we may be more familiar with: war. Strategy is about winning the war. Tactics are how you do it. The great generals of time understand the landscape, their enemy, their enemy’s tactics, and the strengths and weaknesses of their own army.

    Don’t like war? How about sports? No football team goes against another team without spending time on the field in practice. The strategy of the game never changes: outscore the opposing team by running the ball in the end zone.

    The tactics to achieve that strategy vary depending upon the team you’re playing. Coaches and leadership — maybe even the team — will spend hours watching tape of the opposing team — studying their every move. The strategy of studying the opposition helps you find their strengths and weaknesses. It helps shape the tactics used in order to accomplish the overall goals.

    Coaches and generals apply strategy to achieve their goals, but in war and football, the tactics and tools don’t evolve as quickly as the digital world. This is why it’s important to do the work.

    Tactics in social shift frequently. Do the work. Be a practitioner. Share on X

    Strategy and Tactics are not Mutually Exclusive

    If you’ve ever listened to Gary Vaynerchuk, then you’ve heard him say, “be a practitioner.” He talks about having his head in the clouds and his feet in the dirt.

    For him, clouds represent strategy and tactics the dirt.

    In this video he says,

    “I believe that engagement on Twitter makes sense. I also then do it.”

    Do the Work.

    Once you write your strategy and start implementing it, you may see results that surprise you — in any direction. Do you stop to ask yourself why?

    Why are those ads converting? What is your time on site? What are the voids your brand can fill in your industry? Where can you show your value? How can you increase loyalty? Why is your open rate so low? Is it just your company or is it the service?

    Questions are important. Questions drive you to answers.

    If you don't understand tactics, you won't ask the right questions. Share on X

    Doing the work gives you familiarity. Sure, Vayner Media has over 800 employees. But what’s amazing about Gary Vaynerchuk is that he always does the work. That’s why his agency has won in so many areas.

    “Here’s the thing: if you’re not constantly working on your craft—if you get too romantic about doing things how they’ve “always been done”—you’re going to lose. You need to be a practitioner.” Gary Vaynerchuk

    Tactical shifts — especially in media — can alter the effectiveness of your strategy. If you distance yourself too far from implementation, you will not be able to create or alter a strategy that creates results.

    Do the work.

    “Be a practitioner.”