Branding and Advertising as Part of a Start-Up Company’s Budget

Joshua Andrews writes this week on Branding and Advertising as Part of a Start-Up Company’s Budget. Read on …

Build it and they will come?

What comes to mind when you think of a start-up company’s budget? Maybe the first thing you think of is inventory. Having a product and enough money in the budget to supply that product to the public is certainly an important consideration, but is it the most important thing? What about equipment, or facilities? These are also things you cannot live without when it comes to starting a business but there is another important budget item that you do not want to overlook. You want to make sure you are leaving enough room in your budget for branding. 

First impressions count.

When you are starting a business, you are not just striving to sell a product or service, you are creating a brand. You are building your image. You want to make sure your image is something memorable and instantly recognizable. You are not just selling a product, you are selling a personality. 

Who are you?

Thanks to the phenomena of social media, everyone is branding themselves these days. We all make a point of ensuring that our personal social media accounts are not just reflecting us but that they are reflecting the side of us that we want everyone to know. For millennials in particular, brands are incredibly important. Do not let your start-up be left behind. Think about who it is you want to present to the public and reflect that in your branding. And make sure that you have enough room in your budget to do so. If you want to learn more about branding, get in touch with us today. 

It’s 2017: Position Your Brand With Emotional Equity

Today, Cheryl Hosmer gets emotional about your brand. Read on …

Update your brand by investing in its emotional equity. You’ve got tons of equity prebuilt into it already. Sweat equity. Financial equity. Social equity. Level up. It’s a brave new world out there and The Mad House has got the strategies and design know-how to help you explore it, conquer the monsters and keep your brand integrated and a consistent voice in the marketplace.

Position yourself deeply.

You’ve got your logo, your tagline, your go-to standards and your customer promises. But so does your competition. You don’t set yourself up to compete. You position your brand so it doesn’t have to compete. It’s the Karate Kid method–learn to fight so you don’t have to fight. Attach yourself emotionally to your customers by getting them in the place they care: what your brand adds to their lives. Get them to think about you. Think community service, memorable graphics and consumer lifestyle.

Who are you to your customers?

When they need your brand, can they smell it, taste it, feel it, desire it? It all builds emotional equity. It’s like attachment parenting. Keep your customers close and socially accessible so they will always look for you first.

Keep it simple.

Emotions are complex. Keep your message on point, clear, without ambiguity. Remember human nature. When you want something you figure out the easiest road to get it. We do that work for you so you can concentrate on getting your message, your brand, embedded into the hearts and minds of your customers.

Don’t keep your instincts in check. Let us help you explore your brand’s emotional equity. Level up. Dare to be provocative, mindful and excited about your brand’s future.

Did Your Brand Suck in 2016? You Could Be Due for an Update

Maureen McLaughlin wants to know: Did Your Brand Suck in 2016?  Read on…

While you’re busy running your company, digital trends, internet memes, 24-hour news cycles, politics, and random local and national events are constantly changing the landscape in which you do business.

It’s all too easy for your brand to become stale in the blink of an eye – often without you noticing. The new year is the perfect time to check in with your branding efforts and see if they need any tweaking to stay fresh going into 2017.

Here are a few quick questions to ask yourself to see where you stand. 

How Are Your Visuals?

Do your logo, website design, and print materials still reflect what your business does and the image you want to portray? Have you been using and reusing the same photos and graphics on your website and social media for years? Periodically updating your image library is important for keeping your brand fresh and interesting.

Is Your Website Dated?

Find a trusted friend or colleague who is not very familiar with your company’s website and ask them to check it out. Getting honest feedback about the design and user experience can reveal if your website has become dated – which doesn’t take long to happen.

What Do Your Customers Think?

If you can, ask some customers personally if they think that your branding is an accurate reflection of your company, and whether they think it could improve. Be sure to check out reviews of your company on social media sites; reviewers might not speak about your branding efforts specifically, but will likely be more candid when reviewing your business in general. These reviews can be extremely valuable in alerting you to areas where you need to improve.

Have You Outgrown Your Branding?

Maybe you had an amazing 2016 – congratulations! But if you quickly scaled up from a local operation to a regional or national one, your branding might need to catch up. Make sure your company looks and feels like the success that it is!

If you find you need an update or want a second opinion, contact us at The MAD House!

How to Make Your Company Unique From Within

How to Make Your Company Unique From Within

Elise Walker is back with ways to differentiate your company from the inside. Read on …

It can sometimes be difficult to differentiate your company, brand, services, or products amid a plethora of competition with products or services that might not seem much different to the average customer. While there are many creative ways to distinguish your company and brand, sometimes it is good to consider how you can do so from within your company. Here’s how you can do this.

Make Your Company Enjoyable to Work For

This sounds simple, yet many people are unhappy with their place of employment, so companies that have high job satisfaction can be rare. When people complain about their work experience to others, this does not reflect well on their employer, or the employer’s products or services.

On the other hand, if your employees enjoy their work environment, this will not only make your company more productive, but will no doubt get around to others outside of your business. Word-of-mouth advertising from your very own workers is invaluable, and will also make your company unique simply by being a place people love to work.  

Ways You Can Keep Your Workplace Environment Positive

*Make sure you, along with any other members of management are actually telling employees you appreciate them. An annual employee appreciation week will not take on much meaning if the rest of the year they feel unnoticed and underappreciated. Sincerely telling them thank you for their work and that they’re doing a good job- on a regular basis- can go a long way with helping them to maintain a positive outlook. 

*Try not to encourage an atmosphere that’s too competitive. While a little competition can at times be of benefit, you don’t want employees to be upset with each other over it. 

*Keep the lines of communication open and positive between management and staff. Making sure management is available to address the problems employees bring up, and working out solutions with them is vital. 

These are just some things you can do to help your company be unique and positive from within, which can assist in giving you a reputable and dependable name in the community. At The MAD House, we can help you look for new ways to make your brand, company, or products stand out. Please contact us so we can help you make your business a success.

Understanding Differentiation – How is your company/brand/product truly different from the competition?

Justin Williams wants you to understand differentiation. Read on …

Digging into your brand can be a scary thing. As a business, the last thing you want to do is focus on your flaws, and with good reason. But understanding what you can improve upon often helps you see the greatness that is already there. That’s why it is important that you involve your most valuable asset in the equation of differentiation: YOUR CLIENTS.

Your brand IS DIFFERENT

Your valuable customer base should always be a part of what drives your businesses growth and improvements. It’s no secret that they are the lifeblood of your business. Your brand IS DIFFERENT, and that’s why your tribe sticks with you. But where can you improve, and WHAT makes you different?

You might have a million ideas of why you THINK you are different, but you could be missing some important stuff. Sometimes, an outside opinion can offer you insight into your brand that you didn’t even know existed. So, ask other people. It’s a simple process that has helped thousands of businesses grow and stay competitive.

Send out some customer satisfaction surveys via snail mail. Include one in your purchasing process. Post a survey on your website. Ask face-to-face. Whatever it takes, find out what others LOVE and dislike about you. It’s going to help differentiate you from the pack.

Differentiation – How is your company/brand/product truly different from the competition?

Try it and learn

Involving your customers not only helps you understand how your brand is different, it actually makes you different! You keep your tribe engaged and show them you care, and you take the necessary steps to better serve them. Try it and learn. And when you are ready to find out what makes us different, and how WE CAN HELP you, go ahead and contact us.