As an entrepreneur, you’re in control of how you are perceived by your customers and prospects. Unfortunately, daily pressures cause many of those perceptions to be unplanned, incidental or accidental. There are only so many hours in the day, and you constantly have to make decisions about time, profit, customer/client convenience and value. It’s not possible to get it all done.

The temptation is to focus on operations. After all, operations generate the revenue, and are often at the core of our entrepreneurial passion.

The most successful entrepreneurs focus on marketing and sales.

At the core of marketing is having a well-defined, properly executed brand.

If your brand is not in alignment, your touch points will not create a clear and consistent image of who you are and the value you deliver. As a result, customers and prospects will have a harder time getting to know and trust you, which can end up costing you lost revenues and profits.

Most big companies do an exceptional job of keeping every detail of their brand in perfect alignment. You always know what you’re going to get when you buy a Nike shoe or McDonald’s fries. Why? Those fries stay in the fryer at exactly the same temperature, for exactly the same amount of time, whether you’re consuming them in Seoul or Sioux City.

Big companies make it happen by executing the fundamentals. The whole purchase experience is controlled to the greatest degree possible, so that every touch point is aligned with their brand strategy.

For example, big companies consistently use a professionally created visual identity on uniforms, trucks, letterhead, signage, web sites and marketing material.

They’ll script and measure customer service, and spend millions of dollars in advertising to make sure the word gets out about what they do.

Even though they usually get the little things right, big companies can get the big things wrong. I recently blogged about Disney's and Volvo’s branding misadventures.

Walt Disney, the entrepreneur, would not have made the same mistakes that Michael Eisner, the corporate manager, did with Disney’s California Adventure. Walt was absolutely in it for profit, but he knew what it took to create an immersive, engaging environment for families.

Eisner put his objectives of 20% annual growth in revenues and profits ahead of delivering value, and in so doing, significantly devalued the Disney brand.

Entrepreneurs may get the little stuff wrong, but we are so passionate about who we are and what our organizations should deliver that we usually have the right general concept about what it is that we’re doing for our customers.

Are you ready to give your brand an alignment checkup? Start by taking an inventory of everything around you through the eyes of your customers.

• If you want your customers to think you’re friendly, listen to how your staff answers the phone, and how they deal with difficult situations.
• If you pride yourself on fast service, are you measuring the average amount of time it takes to turn work around or fill and order?

Your customers form impressions about you based on what they see at your place of business.

• Is it neat? Is it organized? What sort of art is on the walls? What about the overall color scheme? Is it well executed and consistent, or do you need to break out the paint?
• Does your staff have a consistent look (either uniforms or standard of dress)?
• What about signage?

Is your logo crisp, clear, and easy to recognize? How are you using it?

Is your logo the one everyone sees most often and most prominently at your place of business? Logos are a key part of identity, yet we put up everyone else’s logo in our workplace. Who’s logos are on your pens, pencils, coffee cups, calendars, display racks, etc?

Again, we can borrow from big companies as we think of ways to make your identity more ubiquitous.

Staples has sold 1.5 million easy buttons at $5 each.  The novelty items, born out of a Staples ad campaign, have generated $7.5 million in revenue for the company.

Travelocity's gnome continues to roam, as the travel site has sold more than 20,000 of its 8-inch gnome statues at $19.99 a pop. Last month it added an 18-inch version for $64.95.

What messages do your marketing materials transmit about your values and beliefs?

• Is it clear, after reading them, why you are the best choice?
• Do they have a consistent look and feel?
  • How does your web site look?
  • What about your business card, your brochure, and your advertising?
    • Don’t forget to look at your ad in the Yellow Book/Yellow Pages if you advertise there.

What sorts of promotions and discounts are you offering?

An “out of alignment” seller of military surplus offers its biggest sale of the year on Labor Day. An “in alignment” military surplus retailer does its biggest promotions on Veteran’s Day weekend.

The retailer gets extra “alignment points” if he or she adds a small line of type at the bottom of all advertising to the effect that there are special discounts for veterans.

Referrals are vital to growing your business. How do you say thanks when you get one?

Is a discount on your customer's next order the best you can do? How about donating in your customer's name to a charity that reflects your shared values?

Another idea: find a gift that reflects your brand. At Fresh!, we send a gift basket of Fresh! fruit from Harry and David.

Is your brand aligned with your target audience? In other words, are you targeting groups that value what makes you unique, or can they get what they’re getting from you anywhere? What else can you do to be more “you”?

Were you aware that each generation has its own preferences and habits? Which generation are you going for? Baby Boomers? Generation X? Generation Y?

If you’re selling to Generation Y, you better understand PDA and text messaging. If you’re selling to baby boomers, you better have type big enough for them to read when you want them to read something! 

If you’d like to chat about brand alignment, or any other aspect of marketing, give us a jingle -- we’ll make your brand tingle!

Best,
Luis Maimoni
Creative Director
Fresh!

(562) 595-0555 Voice
(562) 595-0527 Fax
(562) 537-0678 Cell
Luis@FreshGraphics.net
www.FreshGraphics.net