While a fully-fledged NFC may not be right for your business, you definitely need to make sure you at least have a mobile site to provide the opportunity for your customers to view your information online correctly, easily navigate from a mobile device and purchase products through their mobiles. It is crucial to understand that for many people, their Smart Phone, iPad or Tablet replaces their desktop computer, so providing them with increased functionality will definitely make you stand out from your competitors.

Do the BrandManager ‘digital media checklist' and see how your brand performs!

 

Digital Media Checklist

With the ever changing digital marketing environment it is important that your brand ‘moves with the times’. Take the BrandManager Digital Media Checklist and see how you rate (10 points for each positive answer).

 

• Mobile friendly website
- Can my website be easily viewed on mobile devices like an iPad, Tablet, or Smart Phone?
- Do I have a specific mobile optimised version of my website, i.e. mobile.yourdomain.com.au?

• E-commerce
- Does my website accept payments for bookings online?

• Video Content
-Does my website feature a photo or gallery?
-Do I have a YouTube channel?

• Social Media
-Do I have links to Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Facebook clearly visible on my site?

• Blog and Electronic News
-Do I have a Blog on my site?
-Do I communicate with customers regularly via an electronic newsletter?

• Search Engine Optimisation
-Am I engaged in effective SEO to improve my Google search rankings?
-Do I conduct or have I tried Google Adwords as a marketing tool?

• Content Management
-Is my website driven by a user friendly Content Management System so I have control over content?

Add up your score, 10 points for each question you answer ‘Yes’ to and ‘0’ points for a ‘No’. If your score is less than 100 then you might like to consider a digital media briefing session with BrandManager and we’ll prepare for you a budget and strategy to achieve maximum performance online. Contact Daniel at BrandManager on 1300 55 30 33 for more details.

Although Your Australian Business can help business all over the world we will be initially assisting  UK based businesses to expand into Australia whilst gaining free trade access to markets such as Asia through a series of ‘turnkey’ packages. Consequently Your Australian Business is conducting a series of free information seminars throughout the UK, Scotland and Ireland from the 22nd of November through to the 1st of December.  Each session will be free and is strictly limited to 50 participants.

 

 

Our 'Business Road Trip' itinerary is as follows: 

Tuesday 22/11:

London - Business After Five
Novotel London City South
5:30pm to 7:30pm

 

Wednesday 23/11:

Southampton - Business After Five
Novotel Southampton
5:30pm to 7:30pm 

 

Friday 25/11:

Dublin - Business Lunch
Dublin Chamber of Commerce
12:30pm to 2:30pm 

 

Monday 28/11:

Edinburgh - Business After Five
Novotel Edinburgh Centre
5:30pm to 7:30pm 

 

Wednesday 30/11:

Manchester - Business After Five
Novotel Manchester Centre
5:30pm to 7:30pm 

 

Thursday 1/12:

Birmingham - Business After Five
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
5:30pm to 7:30pm

To find out more about how Your Australian Business may benefit you or someone you may know please visit www.youraustralianbusiness.com and stay tuned for updates about our upcoming UK trip through Twitter – click here to follow us.

After four years of dominance as the world’s biggest brand, Google has finally been unseated by Apple.  The value of the Apple brand has grown an amazing 859% since 2006 helped by the popularity of their iPod and iPhone products released around this time.

So what is the secret to the success of the Apple brand and how can we apply that to our own business brands?  At a press conference last year Apple’s leader, Steve Jobs gave his five keys to Apple’s success…

1. Engage your team – the healthiest ideas come from vigorous debate
2. Don’t take short cuts – it’s hard work that produces great products
3. Forget about trying to be ‘the best at everything’ – find your niche and stick to it!
4. Love your customers
5. Focus on long term success instead of short term gains



Some great tips of course that you can easily apply to any size business but the real challenge is how to take the message to market and build your brand. Here’s five ways that Apple did it and how these very same strategies can be applied to your business branding…

Keep it simple and make it fun

It wasn’t that long ago that computers were boring – they looked plain, they were bulky and often needed a degree in rocket science to get past the welcome page.  Apple changed all that from day one by challenging this perception and bringing to market products that were user friendly, colourful and even fashionable.  How easy is it for new customers to understand what your products and services are all about and more importantly the benefits they offer? 

Brand consistency

Apple created and secured the ‘i’ brand then went ahead and tagged all of their products – iMac, iBook, iPod, iPhone and iPad.  Each product has it’s own sub-identity yet stays connected under the master ‘i’ branding – this creates very strong cross-sell amongst the products and encourages the buyer to own the entire product line.  Could your products or services be sub-branded and target marketed in their own right?

Creating demand, delivering value

By having initially a select distribution network of authorized resellers Apple were able to both create demand and manage pricing.  Nowadays their products are available in more retailers as well as Apple’s own megastores yet the pricing remains fairly consistent across the board.  Value your products and services and don’t discount – instead add value by packaging up products or including free extras.

Limited choice

In business it is a common mistake to try and be everything to everyone instead of researching customer needs and then delivering a product that solves this.  Today’s consumers hate making choices – we all say that we want choice but then we’re faced with a wall of plasma and LCD televisions that all look pretty much the same.  Apple’s strategy has been to create a product for each market or function and make it easily available.  From high-end Pro Macs for designers and professionals to the Mac Mini or iMac for first time users.  Do you have too many products, services or packages that instead of making it easy for customers to buy actually confuses them?

Get creative!

Your brand has to move with the times or you’ll get left behind.  Take a look at Apple’s marketing – from slick newspaper ads with big pictures and limited wording to the clever Mac versus PC television commercials where people became the computers, like the one that had the PC guy in a biohazard suit to protect against the threat of new internet viruses.  Like Apple did to the computer industry – maybe it is time for you to challenge your market.  Who said marketing the legal or medical industry couldn’t be a little fun and creative?

Tony Eades

Creative Director

www.thebrandmanager.com.au

Tony Eades is the creative director of the BrandManager, a creative, marketing and communications agency based in Sydney and Perth. He is a business branding expert with more than 20 years experience in design, marketing, advertising and media production.

We are excited to share with you our latest brand to launch this year.

Congratulations to Ideal Foundations™ on their re-branding!

Ideal Foundations™ has been busy showing off its new look along with its fantastic products and services at Trade Shows across Sydney.

They exhibited over three days at DesignBUILD 2011 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on the 11th, 12th and 13th of May. DesignBUILD is Australia’s leading trade and professional building expo, showcasing all that’s new, innovative and sustainable in building design, from planning to post construction. Ideal Foundations™ was able to make a great impression on existing and potential customers, following the brand’s recent face-lift. Their presence at the show was met with positive feedback and lots of enquiries over the three days kept their staff busy.

Would you like to…

• See your brand as fresh and tech-savvy?
• Drive more traffic to your website?
• Engage your consumers by giving them instant access to what they want?

Talk to Brand Manager about how to achieve all that and more using this cool, interactive technology called QR codes.




What is a QR code you ask?

Scan your smart phone on the secret code above to find out more (You may need to first download the free reader app.)

A QR code is a specially coded 2D barcode, which is readable by a smart phone (iPhone, Android or Blackberry). All that is needed is to install one of the many free QR reader apps and a whole lot of information becomes instantly accessible with a simple scan of your phone.

We’re all familiar with barcodes and essentially that’s what a QR code is. However the biggest difference with these fancier barcodes is that they can direct your consumers to a world of information. A QR code is a specially coded 2D barcode, which is readable by a smart phone (iPhone, Android or Blackberry). All that is needed is to install one of the many free QR reader apps and a whole lot of information becomes instantly accessible with a simple scan of your phone.

The cool thing about these barcodes is that they can do a lot of different things, they can activate a number of phone functions, link to digital content on the web, send customers to any website or give your customers the option to instantly contact your company via email or phone. A QR code can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information and can be coded with your company’s website, your Facebook page, your blog, your twitter account, YouTube Channel etc. The options are endless!



Businesses in Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands have been using QR codes for a while now, with Western countries slowly starting to recognise the usefulness of these strange-looking barcodes. Businesses in Australia are now beginning to acknowledge the benefits of utilising such a tool and QR codes are starting to pop up on window displays, posters and coupons around the country.

QR codes allow you to measure response rates with a high level of accuracy, in turn allowing you to clearly calculate your return on investment, making them ideal for small businesses.

If you would like to offer your customers a innovative and interactive way of connecting with your business, why not let us show you how to best incorporate QR codes into your marketing campaign? Get in touch with Brand Manager today and let us devise a plan to engage your consumers using the technology of QR codes.

Call 1300 55 30 33 or email info@thebrandmanager.com.au to talk to us about marketing your brand using QR codes.

Your Business Bucket List for 2011

 

In the 2007 movie The Bucket List, corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers meet in hospital and decide to do the things they’ve always wanted to do before they die.   So why not take the same approach to your business and prepare your ‘Business Bucket List’? 

How many times have you heard people saying, “I’ll wait for the economy to pick-up” or “I’m getting ready for the next big wave”.  If you only had a year to improve your business and make a lot of money would you sit and wait for the economy to pick up?  So why not make your ‘Business Bucket List’ now and see what you can achieve in 2011?

Let’s get started with five items for business growth and survival that definitely should be on your Business Bucket List…

Create a brand not a business

Understanding the term ‘branding’ is the first step to successfully building a brand.  Search Google for ‘brand terms’ and get an impressive list of 13,400,000 results, from which you probably only need six …

• Brand Promise – your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and the benefits you deliver
• Brand Identity – the mark/s that visually present your brand
• Brand Image – the set of beliefs around what your brand stands for
• Brand Strategy – how you promote and build a positive perception in your customer’s mind
• Brand Positioning – how your brand stands against others
• Brand Management – maintaining consistency with your brand

Make sure you have all the elements of a strong brand and not just a pretty logo – it’s really one of the best investments you’ll make.

Own your slice of the market

Imagine the power of owning your product name in the marketplace – like Kleenex is to tissues.  On a local level own your space so that when people need your product or service they immediately find your business.

Invest in an online business platform instead of just a smart looking website, it’s what’s under the hood that counts!  It should include a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, an e-newsletter and Blog platform that links to Twitter, Facebook and other social media marketing platforms and effective search engine optimisation.

Create a memorable customer experience

Successful marketing is about attracting and retaining customers with a total experience that stimulates all the five senses every time they come into contact with your business.

 

Introduce soft background music in your office or shop and provide mints or chocolates at reception.  Make your signage and marketing collateral visually appealing.   Do you have a fresh newly cleaned office smell? If not you could burn some relaxing incense.

 

Create a total customer experience and you’ll have them coming back for more – it really does make a lot of ‘sense’.

 

Get more bang for your buck

Get a bigger bang for your marketing dollar by cutting out wasted, non-effective marketing activities. To do this however you need to measure what works and what doesn’t.

 

Sophisticated online and social media marketing can give you real-time results like who has received your e-newsletter, who opened it and where they went next.  Once you know what’s working you can put more of your budget towards that and take it away from activities that are producing mediocre results.

  

Reinvent the wheel

Just because everyone in your industry is doing things a certain way, that doesn’t mean you have to follow suit.  Get creative, be innovative and demand to be noticed for doing things differently.

 

Bring in your team for a ‘creative brainstorm’, research your customers’ needs or bring in a creative marketing expert who will see your business from the ‘outside’ and therefore start you thinking ‘outside’ of the square.

  

Refresh your brand, create your unique selling point and switch on your marketing with a ‘Creative Brainstorm’ Power Hour with Creative Director, Tony Eades and Niche Creator, Amanda Rose.

 

Exclusive offer $395 (Normally $695) for bookings by 31st March 2011.

Click here to book you 'Creative Brainstorm' today!

 

We are excited to share with you our latest client brands to launch for this year. Congratulations to Penny Webb, Wayfield Group, Airaway and The College of Nursing's Emerging Nurse Leader Program.

To help your direct mail campaign cut through the overload of promotional material, catalogues, brochures and free samples that we are bombarded with everyday you need to get a little creative. So here’s five easy steps to creating a more effective direct mail campaign.

1. You talkin’ to me!
The first step is to determine exactly who you are talking to when your direct mail piece hits someone’s desk. Whether you are purchasing a database or building it from scratch you need to decide who is your most probable customer – the person most likely to buy from you. Then make sure that you have their name (spelt correctly of course), their title, postal address and contact number. Nowadays you can purchase a targeted database tailored to industry, business size, location and number of employees from around one dollar a name.

2. Get creative
The US Environmental Protection Agency found that 44 percent of direct marketing mail is binned even before it is opened so it is vital that your promotional material stands out from the crowd. So think outside of the square when you are designing your campaign – include a product sample, send a glossy postcard instead of a cheap flyer or at least make it bright and colourful so it jumps out of the letterbox.



3. Keep it informative
Believe it or not there are a lot of people who actually love receiving junk mail. A study by The Australian Institute found that in 2005 $428 million was spent on unaddressed promotions and an amazing $1.54 billion on addressed direct mail. Make sure your marketing message includes some interesting information about your product or service and a ‘to the home or business owner’ exclusive offer.

4. Hit the phones!
Direct mail as a marketing strategy generally achieves a take–up rate, if you are lucky, of around one to three percent. This low response rate however improves substantially when you follow-up your direct mail with a telemarketing campaign. By using a current and correctly populated database you should have both mailing and phone data for all of your prospects. Wait a few days after sending out your marketing piece and then call up each contact to follow-up. Start each conversation by checking that they received your leaflet and then ask them what they thought of your promotional offer – this approach makes the call sound less like a sales pitch.

5. Measure and massage
Every marketing strategy needs constant improvement to ensure that you are achieving the optimum results you can. Measure the effective of your direct mail campaigns and make adjustments as needed. For example, try your telemarketing script with the first ten call backs and gauge the response, then if necessary try a different approach for the next ten and compare the results.

Finally, remember that this really is a great time to start doing junk mail promotion. With the rise in popularity of the internet there’s now even less competition in the mailbox.

Email us to discuss how we can help you with your next direct marketing campaign.

The concept of personal branding has been discussed widely across the net yet many people think that it is confined to the celebrity set like Paris Hilton or Justin Timberlake. By definition, personal branding is ‘the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands’. Today the idea of ‘self-packaging’ is becoming more of a necessity than a desire due to the rise in popularity of social media technology.

Social media tools have levelled the playing ground and thus enabled us to reach incredible heights where the cost to entry is only really our time. Plus, in an amazingly short space of time we can achieve as much presence as most startups and mid-size companies or products.

So what face do you want to show to the world and how will you position yourself for success? To help you decide, here are five steps to ‘the art of personal branding’ …

Discover your niche
The first step in the personal branding process is to discover and select your niche so that you can become the master of your domain. Take an inventory of your skill set and determine what it is that you can be seen as a specialist in – this will become your ‘online domain’. Start by registering your ‘name as a domain’ for example, www.johnsmith.com so that you can own your slice of the world wide web.

Your personal branding ‘tool kit’
Your personal branding ‘tool kit’ consists of the elements that you need to highlight your brand and communicate your niche. In your kit you will need a business card – both printed and online versions. To create and distribute your online business card use a free site like www.businesscard2.com.
Next you will need a professional resume – online resources like www.theresumebuilder.com can assist here. This is important not just for job hunting but also to include when promoting your business to new clients. Last but not least, you will need a visual portfolio that will consist of a professional studio-shot of yourself, a CD or DVD of your work and a short profile video of yourself that can be posted to You Tube.



Create your online profile
An online profile across the social media platforms of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter is where people will probably find you first. Here’s a snapshot of the power and reach of this popular phenomenon …

LinkedIn – around 700,000 users across Australia increasing by 23% in just the last eight months. Now with 60 million users worldwide.

Facebook – around five million users across Australia and an amazing 500 million worldwide in 2010

Twitter – around 250,000 users across Australia growing by a staggering 1,067%. Today we are seeing around 50 million tweets being posted per day – that’s an average of 600 tweets per second.

Facebook alone has over 160 million personal profiles, but almost none of them have branded themselves properly using this medium. Make sure that your ‘personal brand’ is reflected consistently across all these mediums and that you manage it well, for example select the privacy options available that disable the ability for people to tag you in external pictures and videos.

Establish a blog
If you are going to carve a niche in the market and become know as an ‘online specialist’ in your field then you will need a blog. A blog allows you to post articles you have written, add links, pictures and work examples as well as being featured on your personal domain website. Moreover, those who blog will create a stronger asset than those who don’t because blogs rank higher in search engines and therefore make it easier for people to search and view your expertise and interest areas over time.



Communicating your personal brand
Your personal style is tangible and is extremely important for standing out from the crowd. Invest in training to improve your presentation skills and select clothing that best represents you and enhances your ‘brand message’. Remember that it will be this look and presentation that will be viewable through your pictures/avatars and video clips online, as well as when you meet people in reality.

Now the work really begins - don’t be fooled by the myth that if you build it, they will come. To create and establish your ‘personal brand’ you will have to actively communicate everything that you have created to others and the world. Have you ever hear the term, "it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?" Well, nowadays it’s not so much of even who you know but more importantly ‘who knows you.

The Hills Shire Business Achiever Awards has nominated BrandManager as one of the finalists from 30 categories on offer - in the area of Business Services. The highlight of the program is the awards presentation dinner on October 6th at Castle Hills RSL. The presentation dinner is an opportunity for finalists to let their hair down and celebrate with other local businesses, dignitaries, special guests, family and friends. Checkout the Cocktails for Finalists feature from the Hills Shire Times and the full 2010 Business Achiever Awards feature in the Hills Shire Times



We are also excited to be named as finalists in the 2010 Suncorp Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence - the awards will be announced at a Gala Dinner event at the Grand Pavilion STC Function Centre, Rosehill Gardens on Tuesday September 14th.

To begin we need to first understand what the term ‘marketing’ really means, so let’s look at marketing in simple dating terms:

You see an attractive girl at a function. You go up to 
her and say: “I am very rich. Would you like to have dinner with me?”

That’s Direct Marketing.

Or perhaps you go up to
 the same girl and say: “I am very rich. Would you like to have dinner with me!” She then gives you a nice hard slap on your face.

That’s Customer Feedback.

Or one of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: “He’s very rich – have dinner with him.”

That’s Advertising.

Or you go up to 
her, get her phone number – then you call the next day and say: “Hi, I’m very rich – will you have dinner with me?
That’s Telemarketing.

Or you get up
and straighten your suit, you walk up to her and pour
her a drink, you open the door and then politely ask her to dinner”

That’s Public Relations.

Finally the girl walks
up to you and says: ”You are very rich – will you have dinner with me?”

Now that’s Brand Recognition.



We should all strive for brand recognition in our businesses but to do this especially during tough economic times we have to stay front of mind with our target market. An interesting statistic is that brands that continued to advertise throughout the second world war eventually became the market leaders in their field when the war was over. In an economic downturn don’t cut or worse still eliminate your marketing budget – instead, just get a little smarter with it. To help, here’s part one outlining “5 creative strategies for marketing your business and retaining your brand recognition during tough economic times”.

First up, how to stand out from your competitors. In tough times we need to first get ‘back to the basics’.  We need to focus on one core product that we do really well and better than any of our competitors and then do it even better!

It is important to always remain true to our brand. In a Readers Digest poll during 2008 of the world’s most trusted brand revealed that: ‘… the most important thing to a customer is a brand being true to its promise’.
Leading global brands like Coca-Cola remain true to their brand – wherever you go in the world the coke generally tastes the same and the branding remains consistent - and that brand is now worth over $60 billion US.

To remain true to your brand you need to remember what business you are in. Sounds simple but it’s probably not what you think – for example if a baker in the bread making business or Bunnings in the hardware business?
The answer is no – in fact we are all in the same business and that’s the ‘problem solving’ business.


Customers today like they always have, buy on ‘emotion’. We need to identity what that emotion is and then become the ‘panadol’ for their headache. You should always strive to continually educate your customers and prospects to understand, appreciate and desire the benefit of the product or service you sell over that of your competitors. Focus on your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and make sure everyone knows about it. Make your USP believable and above all, measurable.  FedEx used to have the USP ‘We own our planes’ and almost went out of business – until they come up with ‘Absolutely. Positively. Overnight’.  Now that’s believable and definitely measurable.

Next time we look at how making small changes to your marketing can bring you big results.

Tony Eades
Creative Director
www.thebrandmanager.com.au

It’s a fresh new financial year so to give your business a much needed facelift let’s start on the surface with your logo and branding.  Do some research and source your main competitors – online and offline – and print out their logos, take note of their marketing message, their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and their positioning.  Now compare your logo, brand and USP to that of your competitors – does it clearly stand out, does it feel fresh and modern or old and tired and if you were a potential customer would it be inviting to you?

Now let’s go deeper into your organisation.  If your USP says that you are more ‘innovative’ or ‘reliable’ than your competitors then you need to back this up throughout your business.  Test the effectiveness of your USP across all areas from point of sale to customer service, your brochure copy to the way you answer the phone and down to your ‘elevator pitch' – the 30 second ad that sums up what your business is all about.

Finally you need to be realistic about your makeover budget – how much will you invest in your new look?  An upgrade of your existing branding can cost between five and twenty thousand dollars depending on the size of your company whilst new brand development can cost in excess of thirty thousand dollars and involve market research, new signage across your operation and a re-design of your website.

A business makeover allows you to freshen up your position in the marketplace, re-energise your sales team and shake up the competition.  It strengthens your brand by aligning everything together with a common theme and message together with re-focussing your marketing strategies to achieve better returns and support long term growth.

"Walking the talk", "practicing what we preach" are common clichés in business and in life. Here is a cool story -

A woman approached Gandhi and said, 'Master, tell my boy to stop eating sugar." Gandhi looked at the chubby six-year-old boy and replied, "Bring him to me again in four weeks time." The woman was surprised but did as she was told. Four weeks later, she brought the boy again. Gandhi looked at him forcefully and said, "Stop eating sugar." "Why didn't you tell him that a month ago?" the woman asked. "Because four weeks ago I myself was eating sugar."

If you are a leader or parent or teacher, or coach (anyone who wants to influence or have others follow) etc. then it is important to remember this concept and the story. People follow those they trust and whose behaviour and actions are congruent.

Kids, students, players, employees they notice everything. Especially the things we don't think they will. If we want to influence and to lead then we need to "walk the talk". We've all seen how not doing so can go massively and painfully wrong - sportsmen, politicians, actors or anyone in the public eye that presents themselves in one way and then behaves in another. The fallout is uncomfortable for everybody. The same is true for what we might see as the smallest of inconsistencies - we lose their trust, they rebel or just switch off.

Our thoughts and actions occur within a frame of reference. A frame of reference unique to each of us because it is based on our beliefs, values, experiences, culture etc. Our actions include the things we do (or not) and the language we use as well.

When we make a decision about the advice we want to give or how we want to influence someone or something we do so based on our experience, knowledge and skills i.e. our frame of reference. The recipient of that advice or direction does the same thing in deciding what they will do with what they hear and see from you, only it’s based on their own frame of reference.

Who do you want to be? Do you want to be the person that gives out advice and directions they don’t believe in enough to do it themselves OR do you want to walk your talk and be a role model?

Sometimes it's not easy to do, I remind myself that trust is easy to lose and much harder to regain than it is to retain.

“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.” ~ Confucius

You can follow Therese Wales on Twitter or find out more at Blog Dare and Up To You’s website 

When times get tough we need to become smarter about how and where we spend our marketing dollar.  Imagine if you could double the potential audience for your product or service whilst halving your marketing spend.
Well the good news is you can and it’s a lot easier than you think.

As a business you have core audience or demographic for your product or service – put simply this is merely the type of customer that is more likely to buy from you.  For example, let’s say that you are a trendy menswear retailer and your demographic is 18 to 30 year old males.  Now think of other non-competing businesses who would also share this demographic, like a new fitness club, travel agency, computer shop or a restaurant perhaps.

Interestingly these businesses like you spend their entire marketing budget trying to attract these customers.  So why not approach one of these businesses with an innovative direct mail or print advertising campaign where you share the costs?  For example, you as the menswear store join forces with the fitness club and offer ‘complete new you package’ where you receive a three month fitness membership, personal training session and a new outfit for one great price?  Both businesses share equally in the promotion yet halve their marketing budget.

But wait, there’s more!  Now you have halved your marketing budget it’s time to double your reach.  Your business and that of the non-competing business should have an active database of customers that you communicate with regularly through store promotions, direct mail and e-newsletters.  So why not cross promote?  In the example above the menswear store would offer an introductory, one month free gym membership exclusively to its database and in return the fitness club would offer its members a 20% exclusive discount on any purchase made at the menswear store.

So just by thinking a little smarter you can literally double your potential customer base and at the same time reduce your marketing spend by as much as 50%.

Brand launches – what’s new from our customers?

It’s been a big month for creating new business brands and we are proud to give you a taste of some of the exciting new corporate identities to hit the market …

Corporateyes

Brief:

To assist in the creation of a new business model and brand for leading corporate consultant, Linda Sirol.  Linda’s niche to corporate coaching, executive training and management is her hands-on, personal approach.
We developed the ‘Corporateyes’ brand around this together with the positioning statement, ‘Focusing on your business optimisation’

Solution:

WOW Fleet Consultants
www.wowfleetconsultants.com.au

Brief:

With a 30 year career in fleet management from across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, Keith Cormican was ready to go it alone. His no-nonsense and efficient approach needed a brand that had a point of difference – something that would demand to be noticed.

Solution:

 

Keith’s comment:

“The feedback from the website has been great!”

The Corpsych
www.thecorpsych.com.au

Brief:

After 25 years with same business name and brand, Dr Michelle from Interactive Life Skills was ready for a change.  Having grown from a small psychology practice to a multi-level human resource organisation, she wanted a brand that was both creative and corporate.

Solution:

Dr Michelle’s comment:

“WOW WOW and more WOW.  You continue to wow me Tony!!!
I LOVE this website.  It looks GREAT!”


If you would like to discuss your brand and how we can perhaps a little of the ‘wow’ factor please phone 1300 55 30 33 or email Creative Director, Tony Eades.

The Brief

Brandmanager was approached by a successful fashion business in Europe. They wanted to develop a children’s clothing brand, for boys and girls aged 2 to 8. The clothing was to be designed in Australia and manufactured in China.

 

Our brief was to develop an iconic Australian brand that would be positioned to the mid to upper market. We had six months to develop and launch the new children's wear label.

For the research we went to Fashion Exposed, the premier, bi-annual fashion expo in Melbourne. Here we interviewed and discussed the industry with existing clothing exhibitors to gain an insiders knowledge of the current Australian market.



The Name and Logo

We next brainstormed the brand – with every name we came up with we needed to check its availability in regards to domain name, trademark and business name. To keep with the iconic ‘Australian’ feel we decided on Kangaroo Creek as the main, umbrella brand.

 

The two clothing labels that were to be produced by Kangaroo Creek became Sugar Possum for the girls and Blue Dingo for the boys.

 

Now came the range itself and for this we sourced and hired an experienced Visual Merchandiser. We conducted two Branding Day’s in Sydney to develop the style, theme and unique stories for the summer collection 2010/11. Designs were developed, samples made and swing tags created

The Brand Message 

The message was to be rustic, colonial Australian - a brand identity to compliment the popular surf brands on the market. We booked a stand at Fashion Exposed Sydney for the launch and designed the stand to match the theme.

Next we hired models and chose a venue for our video and photoshoot – a pioneering village in Kalamanda, WA. We then created themed brochures for both labels and made them square and smaller than the standard A4. We also baked some cup cakes, printed bags and added lollipops to add enhance the Expo experience.

 

Finally we developed a web presence for both brands and created an online E-Store with over 100 products. The video was used as a ‘theme enhancer’ on the website to give a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the photoshoot and 'live' at the Expo.

 
The Results

The Expo was a success with all visitors welcoming the fresh, new look.

 

The results achieved included:

• Initial sales of $21K over the 3 day Expo

• Agents in Sydney and Melbourne interested

• Positive feedback from Europe/ for a possible launch in January 2011

 
Tell us what you think of this new children's brand – click on the 'comments' link below.

 

With Rebecca Stalenberg

Growing a business can be a very exciting time but it can also scary at the same time! You might have heard of horror stories of businesses being told to change their name or stop trading. By exploring the benefits of Trade Mark registration, you can see how trade mark can become a business asset, potentially saving you thousands of dollars and NOT letting your brand be stolen.

So how do you protect your “investment”? This is not just the dollars spent in the set up process but also the blood, sweat and tears setting up your brand. How do you stop your rivals and competitors from “ripping off your idea”?  How do you ensure that someone else isn’t going to come along and make you change your name? How do you OWN your brand? 

The only solution is to secure trade mark protection for your brand

What is a Trade Mark?

A trade mark is a sign that is used in trade to help separate your business from other businesses.  This can include your name, logo, tag line or slogan, packaging, colours, shapes, sounds or scents if they are unique to your business. 
  

Trade Mark Registration gives you exclusive rights for your brand in your nominated classes of goods and services for your business (which are broken into 45 categories).  Trade Marks can be obtained in as little as 7.5 months (if no problems are raised) and can be renewed every 10 years once registered – so it is vital to think about protecting your brands before you start your business so others can not steal your name or your branding ideas!

Why do I need a trade mark?

Trade Marks are not compulsory and are often forgotten about when setting up a business but this is the only way that you can get your name protected and stop others from copying your name/brand.

Many businesses are under the misunderstanding that if they are using their own name, or have a registered business, company or domain name that they “own” the name.  This is wrong!  A trade mark is the only way you can get monopoly, proprietary rights to a name and stop others from copying you! Here is an example of a real business affected by trade mark actions:

Katy Perry (Katheryn Hudson) v Katie Perry (July 2009) – the US singer recently tried to tell the Aussie fashion designer to stop using Katie’s own legal name for her clothing range.  Thankfully Katie had lodged a trade mark and it was almost registered which helped defeat the singers claim! The singer’s lawyers were also pressuring Katie to sign away her rights but thankfully Katie got help and fought back and won!  If Katie had not had a trade mark that was almost registered, her case might have turned out differently. In cases like this – it comes down to a fight of “who used it first” or what is happening more and more – who has the more money to fight it out!

I’d recommend a Trade Mark Search at the pre-launch stage of any new business is recommended not just to protect your band but to make sure you are not infringing on anyone else's brand.  If your new name is too close to another traders you not only have to start your business again but this is a mistake that can cost you thousands of dollars.

Trade Marks can save you how much?

You can attempt to lodge your own Trade Mark online for as little as $370 per class although it is always best to leave it to the professionals to make sure you are properly protected.  You could obtain a full registration that is valid for 10 years, in one class for as little as $1,290 (assuming no objections or oppositions were lodged). 

When you weigh up the possible costs incurred if you were sued including the other party’s costs if they are successful, it could cost you up to $200,000 in legal and associated costs.

Trade Mark protection is not just reserved for those multi-national companies, it is for all businesses, small & big – that want to gain an asset and stop others stealing their brand.  

Rebecca Stalenberg, is a Registered Trade Mark Attorney and Solicitor (NSW & Federal Courts) with 10 years experience in the Legal Industry providing practical legal advice without all the “legal jargon”. For more information on Rebecca visit her website at www.markyourterritory.com.au

What are your thoughts? Add a comment below and share your experiences with others. If you would like to look into trade marking your brand, email tony@thebrandmanager.com.au

The Internet can be a frightening place – one day your best friend and another your worst enemy. A school achievement to a business compliant, your footy team photo to a survey you took years ago – it can all be found in a single Google search. Therefore building your profile online is a vital part of your online brand strategy.



Here's five steps to help you get your name in lights when people search for you on Google or one of the other many search engines:

Step One – Correctly Index Your Website

Your website is your address on the web, whether online, brochure or a full retail shop – it’s often the first impression that someone will get about your business. Make sure each page of your site is correctly titled, has relevant and targeted information in the first paragraph and metatags or keywords added to the source code. You as the business owner or key stakeholder need to have a profile page too so that it will come up when people 'Google' your name.

Step Two – Start A Blog

Whether you share news about your day to day business or personal experiences you have, creating your own blog is a great tool towards online brand awareness. Keep your blog posts short, relevant and entertaining – always consider the reader and ask yourself ‘why would they care about this story?’.

Step Three – Create Your Online Network

Social and business network portals like FaceBook, Linked-In and Ecademy allow you to establish links with other people across the web. The power of each individual link is that it opens the door to their business and social links and then the links of the people as well – and so it goes on. In no time at all you can build a network of thousands – and all without leaving your computer or handing out a single business card. Once again you need to spend time on creating your profile for each platform and be sure to provide links to your business website and your blog.

 

Step Four – What’s All The Twitter About?

One of the fastest growing networks is Twitter – the online short text forum where you add your ‘Tweets’ about what’s going on in your world. From popstars to politicians, movie actors to business moguls – Twitter offers the opportunity to tap into someone’s personality. You can choose a style, theme or topic for your Twitter account and then attract followers to you as you add tweets from your laptop, email or even mobile phone.

 

Step Five – Spread The Love

As you build up your content you will start to create a library of articles, stories and interesting tips that can easily be shared with others. Try and get them published in someone else’s newsletter, posted on their blog, featured in an online publication or made available as a download – the more you have the more you reap in credibility over the web. One story in a leading online publication can help push you to the front page of Google on a specific search for you, your business, topic or area of expertise.

Build A Business Exhibition Packages make it easy to hit the ground running and look the part at any event. Whether you require brochures, magnets or a banner display, you will find there’s a package to suit you.

You can choose from Bronze, Silver and Gold Exhibition Packages, ...

Bronze Exhibition Package Our Bronze Exhibition Package for only $795 includes full colour artwork and printing for: • 1000 magnets • 1500 slimline DL flyers Silver Exhibition Package Our Silver Exhibition Package for only $1,995 includes full colour design and artwork plus printing for: • 1000 magnets • 3000 DL flyers • 1 pull-up banner and stand Gold Exhibition Package Our Gold Exhibition Package for the serious exhibitor at just $2,995 includes full colour design and artwork, creative briefing on how to get the best results from your stand and printing for: • 1000 magnets • 1000 DL marketing cards • 1000 A3 folded to A4 brochures • 1 pull up banner display and stand For more information or to book a package email info@thebrandmanager.com.au

Growing IT support and computer solutions company HighPoint chose BrandManager to 'lift their brand' and create some strong marketing collateral for an upcoming IT Business Breakfast event.

In under three weeks the HighPoint logo was enhanced, a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) agreed and a series of four brochures designed, copywritten, produced and printed.

The display table at the event stood out from the other exhibitors with its vibrant, modern new look – backed by a powerpoint display.

This is stage one of a branding strategy that will take HighPoint to the next level – even 'higher' than they were before.

Learn about the ten most common marketing mistakes and how you can avoid them, plus ...

• discover how to halve your marketing budget and double your exposure
• hear how being creative saved one business over $500,000
• receive a one-on-one Brand Assessment (worth $250) for your business

When it comes to growing a business a brandaid breakfast really is the best meal of the day. Reserve your plate now – book 10 from the same business and we’ll also tailor the session to your brand. Simply choose from one of these three great sessions ...

date: Thursday June 4th or Thursday June 18th
when: 7am to 8.45am
where: Level 5, Nexus Building, 4 Columbia Court, Baulkham Hills NSW
cost: $77 per person (includes coffee and breakfast)
bookings: 1300 55 30 33 or info@thebrandmanager.com.au

Hurry, limited to 10 businesses per session. Book now.

Do some research and source your main competitors – online and offline – and print out their logos, take note of their marketing message, their Unique Selling Preposition (USP) and their positioning. Now compare your logo, brand and USP to that of your competitors – does it clearly stand out, does it feel fresh and modern or old and tired and if you were a potential customer would it be inviting to you?

Now let's go deeper into your organisation. If your USP says that you are more 'innovative' or 'reliable' than your competitors than you need to back this up throughout your business. Test the effecitiveness of your USP across all areas from point of sale to customer service, your brochure copy to the way you answer the phone and down to your 'elevator pitch' – the 30 seconder that sums up what your business is all about.

There is hardly anyone in this day and age who does not use Google or Yahoo or other search engines to find information and suppliers on the web. This means that there are real opportunities if you optimise your website for search engines.

Wikipedia defines Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as the process of improving the volume or quantity of traffic to a web site from search engines via natural (or organic) search results.

1. Go 3D! 3D or Lenticular Printing just get a whole lot cheaper. This unique style of printing allows you to feature an image that appears to change as you move the card. In studies people preferred a 3D image three times more than a normal 2D image. Get 500 3D Business Cards now for as little as $475 inc GST! Click here to email us for examples, quotes or more information.  2. Add impact with full colour process. Single colour or black and white cards can look bland and boring. Add a splash of colour or a picture to your business cards for more impact. 500 full colour cards can be printed now for as little as $55 including GST and delivery.

Starting a new business but worried about your cash flow in those first few months? You can now get all your start up marketing requirements affordably with our new startup package. Our business startup packages get you underway with all your basic requirements, including logo design, website and stationery, allowing you to focus on launching your business straight away.

Double your reach with half your marketing budget

by Tony Eades  Business Marketing Specialist When times get tough we need to become smarter about how and where we spend our marketing dollar. Imagine if you could double the potential audience for your product or service whilst halving your marketing spend. Well the good news is you can and it’s a lot easier than you think.

Interestingly, these businesses like you spend their entire marketing budget trying to attract their customers. So why not approach one of these businesses with an innovative direct mail or print advertising campaign where you share the costs? For example, you as the menswear store join forces with the fitness club and offer a ‘complete new you package’ where you receive a three month fitness membership, personal training session and a new outfit for one great price? Both businesses share equally in the promotion yet halve their marketing budget.

But wait, there’s more! Now you have halved your marketing budget it’s time to double your reach. Your business and that of the non-competing business should have an active database of customers that you communicate with regularly through store promotions, direct mail and e-newsletters. So why not cross promote? In the example above the menswear store would offer an introductory, one month free gym membership exclusively to its database and in return the fitness club would offer its members a 20% exclusive discount on any purchase made at the menswear store.

So just by thinking a little smarter you can literally double your potential customer base and at the same time reduce your marketing spend by as much as 50%.

By Tim Hoopmann

Here’s a smart way to build an on-line business

Have you noticed your sales declining, fewer prospects or even more competitors moving into your space?

Your brand is the most important asset in your business – it’s the reason why people buy from you and not your competitors. So, how effective is your brand in today’s marketplace – is it really as powerful as it could be? Compare your logo, brand and USP (your unique selling proposition) to that of your competitors – does it clearly stand out, does it feel fresh and modern or old and tired? If you were a potential customer would you be excited and motivated to buy from your business?

We’ve worked with literally hundreds of businesses like yours, large and small organisations from all over Australia and we have found that when it comes to marketing the same common mistakes are made time and time again.

Working with BrandManager means you will …

• Unlock your true business potential, grow your brand and increase sales by avoiding common marketing mistakes
  
• Tap in to a pool of creative talent to make your marketing more exciting and above all, far more effective
• Save time by working with one company that has the experience you need in print, web, digital media and mainstream advertising
• Save money with discounts of up to 30 percent on Australia’s best wholesale print pricing
• Manage and grow your business with print marketing software, sales training and marketing workshops 

I'm Tony Eades, BrandManager's Creative Director - invest just 30 minutes in a meeting with me and I’ll show you where you are probably going wrong with your marketing and what you should be doing right now to grow your business brand. 

Phone us on 1300 55 30 33, email info@thebrandmanager.com.au or call in for a coffee at level 5, Nexus Building, 4 Columbia Court, Baulkham Hills.

60 seconds with Damian Knight

One size fits all

Using the latest advanced technology and logistics DesignShop can now design and print a full range of products for client’s offices worldwide.

Our future lies with Generation Y