Archive for the ‘Branding’ Category

Why have video on a website?

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

How many movies have you watched this year? Probably more than your parents and definitely more than your grandparents, right?

We are a video generation. If you had to learn about a product or service, say something you really needed, i.e. a home repair like hiring a roofer, wouldn’t you rather watch a short video instead of reading a 2 page brochure?

Think of a video on your website as a free commercial since you don’t have to buy the airtime.

Everyone that is interested in you will see and hear whatever you deem most important. It could be a testimonial or an educational piece. You could even begin to build trust with a potential client simply by introducing youself and your business.

Video is a worthy investment especially considering the additional uses you may have for it. You could run a video at your office for customers to learn more while they wait in the lobby. Also using the video for presentations, business expos and networking groups makes this a versatile tool in your marketing cabinet.

Posted in Branding, Video, Web | No Comments »

Relational Marketing: Are you connecting?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Marketing has moved on. Have you? Gone are the days of traditional advertising mediums like magazines, newspapers, billboards, and others. Relationship based marketing makes all the difference.

When a company realizes the long-term value of connecting with its clients and keeping them, it taps into the innate longing that people have to connect with others.

The chief benefit of having great relationships with your clients is the likeliness of their referrals to others; therefore, producing a wider network of clients for your company.

Recently, the trend for product marketing is more service driven. The service provided must be personal; consequently, the marketing must be personal as well.

It is essential to combine both traditional marketing with relationship marketing. This combination will allow enforce the relationship with those who have been established and entice new clients.

 A great resource for building relationships and networking is BNI. Check it out at BNI.com.

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Spring into action: improve your brand.

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Is your logo memorable? Does it leave a lasting impression? Does it say what your company is all about? Will someone know it is your business when they look at your logo?

A logo says everything about your company. It promotes the your vision and values. It gives it a concrete imagery and identity that differentiates your company from other businesses. A logo also shows the “personality” of your business.

A logo in and of itself is not enough. Your company as a whole must be branded. The best way to brand a company is to make sure the logo, business cards, and other promotional materials, match and reflect your individuality.

When done well, branding will leave a lasting impression because it will demonstrate that your company knows who they are and how to be successful, which leads to trust. Trust is the most vital aspect of sales and there in-lies the true value of branding.

Posted in Branding, Marketing, Print | No Comments »

A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

At Shire, it is our desire to empower businesses to grow. Therefore it is not uncommon to find the leadership at Shire with their noses stuck in books. Recently, one of our fellow business owners approached us with urgency in her voice and a little red book in her hand…”Here…you have to read this!” she implored.

Now we are passing this little red book to you, imploring you, take a moment to read this.  This is one of those books that I like to call a “Life Book”. A life book is one of those little treasures that, regardless of where you are at in life, can be applied to help you to live your life to the fullest!

The Go-Giver is the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be.  Under the guidance of “the Chairman”, he learns the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success, which ultimately
changes his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives— which ultimately leads to unexpected returns. When Karl and I read the first law of success, we knew this was going to be a really powerful book.

That first law is the Law of Value, which states: “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.” Wow! I won’t tell you what the other four laws are, but I can tell you that they are equally compelling and rich in wisdom.

We’d love to hear what you think of this book.  Please take a moment to comment on our Facebook page, or on www.Twitter.com/shireCEO. Happy reading! – Jillian Diffenderfer.

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7 Business Card Tips

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Business cards are an important first impression. Here are 7 mistakes commonly made on business cards that could leave not such a good taste in your potential clients mouth. How do you your cards stack up?

1. Fonts

Font choice is an important factor in how people perceive your company. Playful fonts don’t bode well for people who are looking to be taken seriously. Also, the amount of fonts you use is just a big problem. Try using a bold or italic face of that font instead. And make sure the letters are large enough to read clearly. If things are looking too small than maybe you should reconsider your content, and if you can lose some of it.

2. Too much or too little information

Do potential clients need to know your cats name, but they do need to know where to reach you? Be thorough but precise. Think about what people will need to know to be able to reach you and what business you are in. You should be clear on your service (be it with words or an image) or they will end up ditching your card because they don’t know if you sell cars or paint houses.

3. Too many logos or photos

Business cards are just a small taste of what you do. Try to weed out things that aren’t absolutely necessary in order to ensure a call back with this potential customer.

4. Using the wrong embellishment

Sometimes people go crazy with trying to make their business cards different and unique that they end up making them hideously overdone. Think about thermography, foil stamping, gloss coating, perforation, embossing, and metallic inks and why you need them/or do not. They definitely add a different touch but should be used sparingly and with thought behind them.

5. Paper

There is nothing worse than feeling like you are going to bend and ruin someone’s business card as soon as they put it in your hand. Choose a nice hearty paper stock that will withstand some punishment, especially if you expect them to use the card again and again.

6. Out of date information

It’s such a turn off when you try to call someone back and their number is disconnected. The point of business cards is to gain clients so make sure that your numbers, addresses, email addresses and other contact information is correct.

7. Too much like an ad

Is this a business card or an ad? If your intent is to have a coupon on the back of your business card than you are on the right track. (there is nothing wrong with an incentive to keep your card around) But if you are trying to exude a more professional look, once again, less is more. Starbursts are not professional.

Business cards work best when they are simple, easy to read designs that have a little extra white space for notes.

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