If you are the sole proprietor of a small business, or part of an international commercial or non-profit organization, the answer to a single question may summarize your marketing success: Are your name and logo recognized widely? A positive answer can depend on whether you are respected by competitors, as well as clients, staff and leaders in your business community. By periodically re-evaluating marketplace realities and refining stepped goals, you can maximize the benefits of shaping and implementing strong, yet cost-effective branding strategies.
CONSIDER THE LONGEVITY OF YOUR LEADERSHIP.
Where do you think you will be
in five years? Personally? Professionally? Is your organization
likely to continue beyond the time of your leadership? How do you
think your organization will have developed in five years? How are
you planning for your departure from the organization? If you are a
profitable enterprise, might employees or family become partners or
owners? Or would you most likely sell to outsiders? If you are a
non-profit, how do you envision the needs of your clientele
changing? Who might emerge to lead your organization to its next
level of success? Your response to these key questions will help you
in determining a program of image enhancement appropriate to both
your current and projected needs.
DON'T IGNORE YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL HOMEWORK.
Analyzing market realities
encompasses more than determining your margin of profit as a
commercial enterprise, or the scale of donations received, if you
are a non-profit. Knowing local, regional and international
standards for your product or service can reveal your ideal market
niche and provide a foundation of on which you can build prolonged
success. Exploring the operations of neighboring organizations, plus
competitors, suppliers, and associated enterprises, may generate
fresh ideas for improving your image and effectively targeting your
desired market. Launching a successful program of image enhancement
includes examining every area of daily operation. Do your signage,
office and/or storefront reflect your industry? Are clients and
other visitors greeted warmly by phone, in person and on the
Internet? Are there gaps in your operational procedures? Remember
that an effective marketing program will place your entire
organization in the bull's eye of public attention. What about the
foundation of your organization? Have you reviewed your values,
vision and mission statements recently? Is your Executive Summary
articulate and compact? Are your business and/or development plans
comprehensive? Do they incorporate up-to-date statistics? Do you
polish them periodically to reflect changing realities? Are you
using these materials effectively to help reach your goals?
HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CLIENTELE?
Can you succinctly describe
your target market? Pinpointing the demographics of your current
client base and balancing these data against those of your desired
clientele can reveal needed changes in your focus and direction.
Some experts assert that asking questions in periodic surveys may
yield unwelcome responses; we propose that even negative responses
can fortify your sense of purpose and lead to clarity in your
strategic planning! By effectively surveying staff, family and
friends, as well as past and present clients, you many find a fresh
view of your image and unexpected ideas for achieving success. While
helping you know what is appealing to your clientele; it may also
determine what will appeal to potential buyers or other inheritors.
PUT SYNERGY TO WORK FOR YOU.
Confident in your role as an
effective leader, you can establish an air of mutual interest, as
you invite dialogue and enhance your staff's sense of identity as
pro-active members of your organization! Once your research is
complete, it's time to set goals for enhancing operations and
ensuring your target market knows your name, logo and slogan. While
it is necessary to confirm your leadership role, you must also
involve your employees and/or volunteers in organizational
development. By encouraging appropriate opportunities for team
input, your self-promotion and expansion will be stronger than if
you rely solely on management or outside consultants.
SEEK SUCCESS IN YOUR OWN RECYCLED PAST.
No one lives in a vacuum. Even
if it is time for a clean sweep, taking stock of the myriad aspects
of your day-t-day business can yield far more than negativity.
Remember, you ARE where you ARE because of your past. Considering
what you've already paid in time, energy and resources, it's worth
reviewing your journey! Even if you are experiencing a downward
trend, or have accomplished only modest growth, you can review the
people and activities that have helped you accomplish each level of
success. Hopefully, you have scrapbooks or folders of evolving logos
and stationery, advertising campaigns and special events. And from
these past successes, you may recognize patterns that are worthy of
reconsideration! Even a fifty-year old family logo's starring
character can get a new wardrobe, haircut and backdrop to proudly
announce the longevity of your enterprise plus your awareness of
today's trends!
PLOTTING YOUR
PROMOTIONAL ROAD MAP.
Review the nuts and bolts of
your business plan and daily operations on a regular basis, and
maintain a file of potential, as well as past, promo projects and
your preferred design elements. To ensure you are moving forward
positively, shape every aspect of public relations and marketing
campaigns to meet some aspect of your goals. To save time, money and
energy, jumpstart the impact and appropriateness of your branding
consultant by summarizing past promotional successes, defining
design preferences and being forthright about your goals.