Authentic Branding

I was talking to a prospective client this week about the art and science of good writing. He shared a concern that I hear all the time: my people can't write. According to the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools and Colleges, he's not alone.

The Commission estimates that deficiencies in employee writing skills costs American corporations as much as $3.1 billion a year.

This month, I have the opportunity to hone my white paper writing skills with some of the best white paper writers in the country. These are the guys who wrote the books (literally) on crafting solid white papers and informational marketing pieces. Learning from their wealth of experience is priceless.

Recently, I spent some time researching how firms in the AEC industry (that's shorthand for architecture, engineering and construction for folks outside the industry) have been positioning themselves. As some readers know, I spent several years working in that industry and continue to work with clients in that realm. 

Is your business ready for the world of social media marketing?

Many of the clients I write for— small to mid-size businesses, professional service firms, non-profit organizations— are still asking this question. More important, they’re asking why they need to think about this now. What’s in it for them? For their clients? Their customers? Their bottom lines?

A few have jumped in with both feet—from Flickr to blogging to Facebook pages.

“Brand voice” is one of those phrases that we marketing and PR types like to toss around. And the truth is that many businesspeople who aren’t marketers look at me sideways when I bring it up. Unless they’re business leaders who have been doing some reading on branding.

"Sure, it sounds like it makes sense. But does our brand even have a voice?"

Social media is arguably the hottest topic in marketing these days. Not everyone’s doing it, nor should they be. Yet there are a number of reasons why it’s important: User numbers are rising. It’s inexpensive compared with traditional marketing and PR tools. And it’s changing how we communicate whether we’re on board or not.

Has the economy got you down? If the folks I’ve been talking to are any indication, there’s no across-the-board answer to this question. No doubt about it, some businesses are feeling the pinch. But others are surprisingly robust. And everyone, it seems is looking straight ahead, positioning themselves for the eventual uptick.

This is not a political post. But I've been closely watching this election season. And it's clear that, although we Americans like to insist that we're not influenced by the "marketing" of our candidates, there's little evidence to support our claims.

The brand matters.

Brands, messages, core values. We marketing types often get accused of throwing around buzzwords like these. We like them. We coin new ones all the time. And often, we expect our clients or those non-marketing folks in our offices to know what the heck we're talking about. But the reality is, you can throw away the fancy terms and focus on one thing that is simple to understand. And that one thing will help your business.

Guaranteed.

That thing is called a key message. And it's what separates "marketing" from "communicating."

Have you ever bought something because of a mission statement?

Recently, an older post on The Essential Message blog caught my attention. In it, Michel Neray points out that no one has ever bought anything because of a mission statement. And as someone who has massaged and crafted mission statements, messages and taglines (and who has sat through more visioning meetings than I care to remember), I relate to what he's saying.