What Does Your Visual Branding Say About You?

What Does Your VISUAL Branding Say About Your Business?

Branding: the collective definition of a product, service or business by means of logo, color, placement, message, medium, and content.

At least that’s my definition.  When we think about branding, it would do small businesses good to think beyond the flashy logo to actually thinking about how their message is conveyed by all visual content.

While driving into the office today I was stopped at a red light behind a truck so obviously owned by the company that makes Clif® products (this is not an endorsement for the brand, while I have nothing against them, actually I quite like the Luna bars, any way Clif is owned by SureSource).

From the graphics on the truck here’s what we can assume about the company:

• They use biodiesel, which is another fancy way of saying they support alternative energy
• They support wind energy, another alternative energy source
• They want to be seen as a natural product via the shots of the mountains in the back ground of the graphic
• Their overall ‘feel’ is earthy, natural, eco friendly

From their website you can continue to connect the dots with the visual images used there, too.  The uses of natural colors, dirt like backgrounds, ‘upcycled’ logo and language all suggest that this company is focused on providing natural, eco-friendly products.  If you dig deeper into their earth friendly site you will find their 5 Aspirations: sustaining our planet, sustaining our community, sustaining our people, sustaining our business and sustaining our (their) brands.  So, they are into sustainability and I would agree that their visual messaging is consistent with their content.

Here’s are a few questions for you:

1. Does your visual message match your content?  If you are an eco friendly brand, for instance, where’s the visual proof?
2. Do you take every opportunity to share your brand via all visual mediums you have access to?  Facebook, Twitter, blog posts, vehicles, business cards, logo wear, etc.
3. Does your website have the indelible imprint of your branding message and is that shared on your social media sites as well?

Bottom line: Is your visual message matching your written and actionable message?  If it isn’t, you need to work with a branding consultant (that’s what we do) to get the message in sync.  We are visual creatures and a cohesive visual message helps increase the confidence and likability of the brands we follow.  Brands that manage to have a consistent message both in content and visual imagery are those that earn followers as well as faithful consumers.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LisaTGoodwin

Lisa T. Goodwin is a serial entrepreneur with a passion to help others get out of their own way so they can build a business based upon their vision, passion and purpose.  Her current projects include providing coaching and social media/branding advice, an online network for professional, executive and entrepreneurial women, as well as a specialized site that reviews all things Laguna Beach – her favorite little city in the whole wide world.  You can find connect with her via Twitter @lisatgoodwin, @lagunareview, or@network4women or on Facebook.

Can We Help You? Check Out Our Services

Our business objective = YOUR business objectives. We will work with you to create a cohesive strategy that embraces your business goals, all the while, NOT losing sight of your key passions and unique differences.  By creating and implementing Social Credibility programs, we will strengthen your customer connections, build a stronger, more enduring brand and accelerate success. Some agencies focus on your ROI, at SCG we focus on your ROR: Return on Relationships and build effective word of mouth marketing programs.  Our proprietary system is designed to maximize your return on customer relationships and advance your business through meaningful, measurable and actionable systems.  Regardless of the size of your business, our customized program will take into consideration your internal processes, team assets, current procedures and competitive landscape.  We will integrate your hard work with our proven process and become an extension of your business while designing a program to elevate your business to the next level.

How do we do this?

• We create buzz about your business by crafting and building programs that integrate your existing philosophy or we help you start from scratch
• We do a thorough competitive analysis to determine the competitive landscape you are doing business
• We implement specific listening technologies to determine what your past and existing customers are saying about you
• We engage current customers and key affiliates to unlock the key assets that support and drive business
• We evaluate all facets of customer interaction to determine strengths and gaps from first point of contact throughout the customer relationship
• We engage in a comprehensive social media program designed to engage customers and garner trust
• We create, implement and monitor a social media strategy designed to connect, fuel conversations and build loyal customers
• Facebook and Twitter aren’t just about fans and followers, there’s a lot more to them and many other platforms designed to reach your customers. We optimize your profiles, set up the right accounts and help you create value for your customers through a systematic online campaign
• We create customer engagement programs that create loyal fans, enthusiastic customers and active affiliates who gladly refer ideal customers back to your business
• Our approach works because we focus on creating a clear, actionable plan that all key team members understand and support
• We infuse ourselves in your business so that we understand your key goals and objectives from an organic, non biased point of view
• If your business needs to adapt internal models to better support a social media and customer engagement program, we build a ramping up phase into the process to ensure success and complete integration
• If you want to take the reins and have a team member take over the daily integration of the plan, we will train and support them
• Our system will be custom designed to connect with your core objectives and passions

Here are a few of the services we offer:

• Social Media Strategy and Implementation
• Competitive Analysis
• Social Identity and Image Management
• Customer Engagement Planning and Execution
• Content Development and Schedule Implementation
• Special Project design, management and implementation
• Existing Strategy Audit
• Social Engagement Best Practices Guideline development
• Speaking
• ROR Bootcamps ½ day and full day programs

Please feel free to call  949-922-3289 or email me if you  have any questions. I’d be happy to set up a free consult to evaluate your business and see if we can partner together.

Lisa T. Goodwin, Chief Success Officer

3 Reasons to LOVE Risk Taking

3 Reasons to LOVE Risk Taking

by Lisa T. Goodwin, Success Coach and Entrepreneur

When I was growing up my mother wasn’t much of a risk taker. That governed how she felt about my taking risks as well. She wasn’t the kind of mother that encouraged climbing trees, running around or getting into things. Most mothers don’t encourage getting into things, but you get the idea, she didn’t want us taking risks. I was a good girl and followed my mother’s advice most of the time…except when I didn’t. Usually there was evidence that I broke the rules that looked like stubbed toes, bloody knees, dirty faces and the occasional cry for help. It was only then, when I stubbed my toes that I realized my potential. By challenging what was safe, or in most cases, what was easy, I learned how to break free from my limitations.
In business our stubbed toes, bloody knees, dirty faces and occasional cries for help look more like ideas that didn’t take off, expenses accrued in the hopes of making it big, late nights and long hours and a cry for help still looks like a cry for help. BUT… there are reasons we do that. There are reasons beyond reason that cause us to risk all of those sorts of things and more. Reasons that sometimes only we understand, and let’s face it — even we question why we do what we do when times get tough.

So stubbed toes and cries for help, they are evidence that you stretched beyond your comfort zone and the comfort zone of others to TRY something new and different. That is why I believe there are 3 reasons to LOVE risk taking.

1. You will never know what you are capable of until you go beyond your perceived limits.
2. Inherent in risk is inspiration.
3. If you want to live the life of your dreams, you CAN’T JUST SIT THERE!

One of my favorite stories about risk taking is about a man named Larry Walters. I first heard about Larry when my mentor and friend, Rich Hurst used his story in a sermon. I then found a great recap of the story in a book by Robert Fulghum and his version provides a classic parable that I have paraphrased in a video about living the life of your dreams. Basically Larry Walters’ story is this: he dreamed about being able to fly so instead of taking pilot lessons, he conjured up this idea about attaching helium weather balloons to a lawn chair. He flew alright, he risked his life for his dream. If you want to hear the story and see actual pictures, go to my video “Living the Life of Your Dreams”.

The bottom line is this; learn to love the stubbed toes and bloody knees. They are evidence that you actually get up off your rear and try for something bigger and better or maybe just different, and that is, after all what needs to happen if you want your dreams to come true.

Success Coaching Group