Playing it safe is not good enough when it comes to trade association branding (or rebranding, as the case may be)....
Brand Strategy Articles
Turn Ideas Into Action: How to Create a Winning Brand Plan
To turn a brand into an asset that is managed and measured, you need a strategic brand plan. This is harder than it...
Use Selfies to Build Your Company Brand
Like many Americans, I visited a National Park this summer. And like many Americans, the crowds overwhelmed me. (Read...
Branding Your Business: Lessons from a NYC Dog Walker
I’m crazy about dogs, which explains why a New York Times article about a brand-savvy dog walker named Precious Costello Caldwell has been bookmarked on my computer (and stuck in my mind) since it was published earlier this year. Here are my thoughts on what Caldwell...
Why a Solid Brand Strategy is Your Company’s Best Recruiting Tool
One of the most tangible—yet most often overlooked—benefits to a company of having a solid brand strategy is that it facilitates the recruitment of qualified employees. Running a purposefully small brand strategy firm in Portland, Oregon, I admit that employee...
Brand Strategy and Business Strategy Go Hand-In-Hand
Your brand. It’s your company’s most valuable asset. Do you have a strategic plan for it? A plan for developing, nurturing and growing your brand is a brand strategy. And like any strategic planning exercise, it is an organized process that is repeated throughout the...
Association Marketing: Your Members Are Your Message
In a previous blog post, we discussed how an industry or trade association benefits from having a strong brand. Briefly, a strong association brand: Motivates board members, volunteers and association staff Provides members with an assurance of quality and value...
Brand Refresh: 5 Signs That It's Time to Shake Things Up
Whether you manage an association, a for-profit business, or a nonprofit, you know how difficult it can be to balance short-term activities with long-term objectives. Consider your organization’s brand, for example. Better said, consider your organization’s brand...
Insurance Agency Branding: How to Make Your Independent Business Stand Out
Nothing is easy about selling a product that people wish they didn’t have to purchase and which they hope they never have to use. The secret to success lies in the strength of your insurance agency branding. As an independent insurance professional in a highly...
Association Branding: How to Connect with Members' Values and Beliefs
Like any for-profit business, an association’s brand is its most valuable asset. The brand is the glue that holds everything together and moves the association toward the fulfillment of its mission and vision. A strong association brand: Motivates board members,...
Create a Content Plan & Calendar for Your Company
When it comes to the development of optimized and strategic content, the old adage holds true: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." – Benjamin Franklin Great content is the cornerstone of an effective online marketing strategy, yet too few companies...
Brand or Bland? Why Companies Need to Take Risks if They Have Any Hope of Standing Out
We’ve been working with a company to develop a new tagline as part of a larger rebranding project. (If you’ve ever worked on tagline development before, you know that nothing else brings out a difference of opinions like a new tagline.) One of the challenges is...