Your brand message is present everywhere. In fact, it’s all around you—in reality and virtually. That’s not meant to scare you though; this isn’t the Matrix—I promise. But, if you want to ensure your business message is working for your company, you need to know where it is and what it looks like to others. If you neglect your brand message appearance in certain areas, you may be losing a huge audience. Imagine all of the prospective clients you can attract if your brand message is accurate and strong in every area where it’s present.

Where does your brand message appear?

A business card: Many times a business card is what reminds prospects to call you. If you don’t have a professional-looking business card that projects an accurate brand message, your card might as well go in the garbage.

Blog appearance: An organized sidebar, constantly updated content, and contact information that is easy to find are crucial if you want prospects returning to your blog—or for that matter, even reading it. A sloppy-looking blog that isn’t updated shows to prospects that your business must be the same way. Don’t let them think this.

Comments you leave on other blogs: Offer constructive comments that add to the conversation. A nasty response isn’t going to attract anyone.

Digg: Increase your friend base and add valuable information to the conversation. Digg other people’s articles and blogs—not just your own.

Email signature and content: Be professional, and be sure to include your name, website, and contact information in your email signature. Avoid using a long-drawn-out signature that has lots of colored fonts. This is overkill.

Facebook: This is a viral social media platform, so whatever you say can go a long way. Be sure you are projecting your brand image appropriately and accurately.

Graphic design (on both print collateral and online): Bad graphic design elements could be projecting an inaccurate brand image for your company. Make sure you use graphics that drive the prospect to take action, that are in line with your brand image, and that don’t look cheap.

Homepage: Your website homepage should invite the prospect to search deeper into your website and learn more about your company and the products / services you offer. And it only has 3 – 5 seconds to do this, so make it count. Industry discussion forums: Provide valuable information to the discussion. No one likes a Debbie Downer so avoid unconstructive criticism.

Industry discussion forums: Provide valuable information to the discussion. No one likes a Debbie Downer so avoid nonconstructive criticism.

Jpeg: Whether you’re using Facebook, your blog, Twitter, or Flickr to post your photos, they should be clear and crisp, appropriate, and of interest to your followers.

Knol: Chronicle morsels of interesting industry information on Google Knol. A Knol is “a unit of knowledge.” Knol online platform allows you to share your expertise and increase exposure.

Logo design: This is the physical image behind your company. Make sure it illustrates your brand image correctly.

Media outlets (both on- and offline): Bad PR can give you a bad reputation. Search through the web, or sign up for Google Alerts for your company and see what others are saying about it.

Networking events (both on- and offline): Listen to what everyone has to say. Don’t talk about yourself every moment. Learning about what others have to say is more important in building relationships than talking about yourself. And since the whole point of networking events is to build relationships, listening is key.

Online marketing campaigns: Everywhere you place your name both on- and offline, has a direct correlation to your company. Your message needs to reflect your brand image.

Physical appearance: Always look professional and well put-together. Even when you’re taking out your trash, you should look tidy—neighbors and people who drive or walk by could be potential customers or prospective business partners.

Q & A participation on LinkedIn: Q & A is one of LinkedIn’s greatest features. It allows you to ask questions to others in your industry and answer questions others have asked.

Reddit: This social bookmarking site allows people to rate blogs, links, and articles. Check Reddit frequently to see what others are saying.

Stumbleupon: Increase your friend base and add valuable information to the conversation. Bookmark other people’s articles and blogs—not just your own.

Teleseminars (thought I was going to say Twitter, didn’t you?): Interact with prospects, and share your expertise on teleseminars. They provide the perfect opportunity for positioning yourself as an expert. Just make sure you have a well-written and valuable script that projects an accurate brand message.

User-friendly website: When viewers can’t properly navigate through your website, they become frustrated and move on to a website that they can navigate through. Don’t lose customers to a difficult-to-use website.

Video content on YouTube: Your video should reinforce your brand, not hinder it. A poorly made video—whether it be bad quality, muffled sound, or flat-out pointless—reflects your brand image.

Website copy: Bad web copy not only impedes your ability to rank high in search engine results pages, but it also projects a bad image of your company. This is not what you want.

X stands for the unknown: You aren’t ever going to be able to know every last place your business message is present. Remember that online marketing is viral—it can be difficult to find all the thousands of connections between your website and others. This is where Google Alerts comes in handy. Signing up for Google Alerts for your company is an excellent way to track connections that fall through the cracks. It sends you updates on where your company name has been found across the Internet.

Yahoo! Bookmarking: People are bookmarking you, so watch what you say.

Z . . . I’ve got nothing. Any suggestions? ]]> http://www.webcopywritingqueen.com/blog/2009/10/do-you-know-where-your-brand-message-is-present-find-it/feed/ 1 http://www.webcopywritingqueen.com/blog/2009/09/google-sidewiki-wiki-what/ http://www.webcopywritingqueen.com/blog/2009/09/google-sidewiki-wiki-what/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:12:41 +0000 admin http://www.webcopywritingqueen.com/blog/?p=1484 Position yourself as an expert in your field, share your knowledge, gain major online exposure, and increase credibility—all with Google Sidewiki.

You may be thinking that a Sidewiki is some strange creature from Star Wars—I’ll admit, that’s what I thought it was when I first saw it—but it’s actually an online tool that allows you to share your expertise, opinions, and knowledge with the Internet community on any webpage.

For example, if you were a real estate agent and wanted to comment on real estate web pages, you could do so using Google Sidewiki. The comment can be made within the same browser as the web page, and you can read what others are saying as well. You can also share your Sidewiki comments with your Facebook and Twitter friends.

See the video below for a greater insight into this exceptional online marketing tool. 

Mobile marketing began in recent years and has since increased in usage. Many companies already utilizing these mobile marketing strategies are club promoters, event promoters, and business promoters, among many others. It’s an excellent way to send a mass message out and have confidence the recipients will receive and view it within minutes of the message being sent. Once receivers open their invitation to an event, they can immediately RSVP and be placed on a list, all within minutes.

According to the mobile marketing company, Mobile Storm, MGM Grand in Las Vegas used mobile marketing to promote a party they were holding. They had recipients RSVP to be on the list, and, all in all, the party was a great success. The time it took to plan such an extravagant event was cut down drastically compared to if they had used an email, flyer, or billboard campaign.

The case study with MGM Grand is an excellent example of how using a strategic marketing plan via mobile devices can have such a successful turnout. Mobile marketing is something that all companies can use to promote products / services—it just requires a different technique to reach out to prospects.    

Mobile marketing is also the perfect way to build strong customer relationships, because it keeps customers up-to-date on company events and news with the click of a button. Using mobile marketing can help your company gain a competitive advantage over other companies in your industry that are not using this new and incredibly efficient advertising tool. Using mobile marketing shows customers you’re current with technology and the latest trends. With the fast pace of everyday life, it’s no wonder mobile marketing is taking off.

There is no better time than now to invest in creating a business image–one that will draw potential business and strategic partnerships to you. One that gets visitors to buy from your website and gets current customers to refer you.

In this economic downturn, people are still spending, but thinking twice as long about whom they do business with. You must stand out—in person and online. You must give them a reason to buy from you by making the right impression.

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, style expert Lee Heyward and I are going to share how to grow your business by perfecting a personal and online business image. In this FREE onetime only teleseminar . . .

“4 Easy Ways to Perfect Your Business Image . . . Right Now.”

On this call, you will learn:

• How to create a business image that tells people you are successful and credible BEFORE you even open your mouth.

• Why your clothing AND your website might be keeping you from business growth . . . and simple, effortless steps to avoid this.

• Why your website and blog image is key to your online business success.

• What you can do RIGHT NOW to implement your desired business image.

• How to create the personal and online image you desire without spending a fortune.

No matter your industry–whether you are in corporate, an entrepreneur, or an independent contractor–you won’t want to miss this onetime only teleseminar. Because we believe now is the time to invest in your business and your life and because we know the power behind having a powerful personal and online image, we’re offering this free, 90-minute teleseminar at two time slots: 2 pm Eastern (11 am Pacific) OR 8 pm Eastern (5 pm Pacific).

Register today for this onetime only call. 

*No recordings will be made available. You must be on the call during one of the two available time slots to hear this powerful information that will change your life and your business.

Emails that incorporate the words “Buy Now” in big, bold, red words throughout the content are extremely obvious and you only want to sell a product, not facilitate a long-lasting, trustworthy relationship with the customer. This forceful approach will scare the potential client away.

It’s important to illustrate to customers your company is dedicated to satisfying their needs through a result-driven product / service. Again, the copy should not forcefully sell the product—it must be crafted in such a way that it motivates the reader to take some kind of action.

Tips on creating a result-driven email:

• The headline (subject of the email) should not only illustrate what the email is about but should also be unique, intriguing, and pique the interest of the reader. Receivers won’t open the email if the subject of the email doesn’t arouse some thought or feeling within them.

• The tone of your email should be professional and should express your personality a bit. A bland and formal email will get you nowhere. Add zest and character to the email, and let your personality shine through.

• The length of your email should be no more than 750 words.

• The sentences, which make up the email, must lend themselves to the message you’re trying to get across to potential customers. This message should be speaking to the benefit of the viewers and inspire—not force—them to take action.

• The email must provide something valuable to readers. Offering a discount or free gift to people who visit your store, sign up for a free demo, refer your company to others, or purchase a product / service from you is a great way to increase sales and build your email list.

Online articles are an excellent resource for potential clients and illustrate you’re an expert in your field. When writing online articles, it’s important for them to be well written, informative, and unique. This rule applies no matter where you submit your article.

Make sure the article is focused and expresses your expertise. The article should NOT sell your product or service—it should be informative and relate to your industry. For example, if you specialize in web copywriting and online website promotion, instead of writing all your articles about web copywriting tips, try to think outside the box and touch different industries in a unique way. Use what you know about online website promotion, and apply it to a specific industry.

There are five key platforms to submit online articles to, in order to increase SEO:

• Reputable article directories.

• Popular bloggers.

• Social media sites.

• Social bookmarking sites.

• Online publications.

This tag includes the words that appear at the top of your browser and describes what the page is about. It’s also the first thing search engines recognize on your website and is the default title that bookmarking sites (such as Digg and Stumbleupon) will use when a visitor decides to bookmark your site.

You want a separate title tag for each main page on your website. This allows search engines to identify what your page is specifically about. It’s important to create effective meta title tags for all pages on your site because each has the potential to be listed in the search engine results page–not just your home page.

Changing title tags to reflect what the web page is about not only helps with your page ranking but also helps get more visitors to click your link on the search engine results page.

Yahoo’s new search layout, Rich Ads in Search, incorporates video and images into the search engine results next to the company name. This creates a more interactive experience for visitors. According to the author, Stephanie Clifford:

“Search advertising typically shows only text advertisements and links. Marketers usually devote part of their online budget to search — which shows text-only advertisements and links — and part to display, the banner and box advertisements that show images or video.

By introducing video and images, the new offering from Yahoo, called Rich Ads in Search, gives search some of the advantages of banner advertisements. ‘It moves the advertising experience from just the blue links, to a more engaging experience for advertisers,’ said Tim Mayer, the vice president for search monetization and distribution at Yahoo.”

No longer is Yahoo search simply pulling up hyperlinked text for visitors to click. They’ve taken the next step to integrate more aesthetically pleasing visual elements to otherwise boring search engine results.

Yahoo’s Rich Ads in Search is a fresh, interactive way for advertisers to put a unique spin on online advertising, and is something that stands out more than a link in the search engine results. Make your links pop with an image or video, and try Yahoo’s new advertising product.

With an increase in mobile internet providers, many people are purchasing phones with internet services. This opens an entirely new portal for advertisers to market products / services via mobile messaging, mobile game and video advertising, and mobile web banner advertising.

If you choose to market through mobile devices, it’s important to do your research. Currently mobile devices are a sensitive advertising vehicle, since the ad content goes directly to your phone—a mechanism once considered extremely personal. Some people who receive these messages ignore them, feel their privacy is threatened, or consider them spam. However, these people are slowly becoming the minority in this mobile marketing craze.
Marketing via mobile devices needs to be done carefully and in a unique way in order for it to be considered effective. The art of advertising on mobile vehicles has not yet been perfected, but the future is looking bright for those going after this new opportunity.