May
14
Branding Your Business the “Cheers” Way
Remember the sitcom Cheers? Even if you’re in my generation, the theme song remains one of the most memorable in television sitcom history:
Don’t you want to go where everybody knows your name?
You could sum up Cheers, both the sitcom and its fictional bar, with that one line. Talk about a bar with a compelling brand.
What if Cheers had just positioned itself as a “sports” bar? Or a “pool hall”? Those might have been factual statements, but there’s nothing there that gets people talking.
A memorable brand tells your audience more than what you do or who you are. Instead, remarkable brands convey what you mean, what makes you valuable and why you are worth talking about. It grabs them by the shoulders and jolts them awake like your Monday morning coffee fix. At the least, it gets them singing along to your tune in the car.
Tell them about more than who you are
Let’s say you’re a real estate agent. You put on your advertising, website and other marketing materials simply “Jane Smith, real estate agent.” You’re at least accurate, but you’re also boring. There’s nothing to distinguish you from the 3,000 other agents in your area. You’re like an extra on a movie set—necessary, but only raking in $100 a day.
What if you positioned yourself as “Jane Smith, condo selling superstar”? Or “Jane Smith, here for you at 3am.” OK, both might be a bit over the top, but you get the idea: both statements brand your value as a real estate agent more clearly, and in a more compelling manner, than selling yourself on your title alone. These statements should be both memorable andhonest. They can catapult you from movie set extra to $15-million-a-picture Drew Barrymore.
Narrow and target your focus
Many businesses and entrepreneurs try to cast a wide net with their positioning. It’s a natural thing to do, and some of it stems from fear: “I need to target broadly or else I won’t get in enough business to make ends meet.”
Narrowing your marketing efforts can help create a more valuable and motivational brand message. For example, if you’re an interior designer, you could position your work as “innovative and bold.” That’s all fine and well, but it’s also not an overly descriptive message or call to action. What does it tell us about you and what you offer? Not much. If you shifted your brand to be something like “East meets West interiors” you immediately help your audience visualize where your specialty lies, and you’ll attract more customers who like, say, Asian-inspired work than your previous description did. If Brad Pitt moves into town and fancies himself a House of Flying Daggers-inspired abode, you might find yourself on the short list of designers he calls.
In case you’re worried about losing business, you’re not stuck just doing Asian-inspired style. Your supporting marketing material can showcase your other styles and themes while consistently reiterating your brand message of “East meets West interiors.” By narrowing your brand and targeting niches, you can pull in clients who seek specialty designers and vastly differentiate yourself from your competition—the lot of whom are likely using vague words like “modern” and “inspired” to describe their businesses.
Great brands tell good stories. You have a good story to tell—the challenge is culling and telling it. Check out The Art of Self-Branding for some more ideas on building your unique brand, and Zefrank’s humorous, but incredibly insightful, video on branding for a more in-depth look at what defines a brand.
Branding the Cheers way isn’t necessarily quick or easy, but when you choose to communicate your value and unique qualities this way, you can build a better business, see improved client or customer loyalty, and accelerate your growth. That’s worth at least a toast or two.
May 14, 2007 - 10:28pm
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Change the World on December 16
Tired of the United State’s foreign policy, unconstitutional IRS personal income tax, money pumped into the Iraq war with no end in sight, and our personal liberties eroded slowly day by day? Then join in the largest political fundraising in history: Tea Party 2007: A Fundraiser for Ron Paul. Be a part of a movement that leaves the media gasping, other political candidates bumbling, and our government scared of what will happen if Ron Paul is elected. Be a part of a momental change in the United States that says “enough is enough. No more lies, no more spin and double speak, no more loss of liberty.”
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Google Introduces Advanced Date Filtering
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Facebook Application Privacy Concerns
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Emigre Font Foundry New Release
Emigre releases "Malaga" a serif font offered in four weights, designed by Xavier Dupre. I like the quirks and personality of the all-caps version.
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Discover the wonder of Malaysian food
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5/7/07 | Permalink
Transferring Your Domain from GoDaddy to Another Registrar
Stuck on on the "transformation code required" part of getting your domain transferred from GoDaddy to another registrar? Check out this great step-by-step article from wandering.net on domain transfers from GoDaddy and how to find that elusive "EPP Transfer Code."
5/7/07 | Permalink
Take the ALA Web Design Survey 2007
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Thumbs Up for Freelance Switch
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy
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4/15/07 | Permalink
Google Earth Maps Out Darfur Geneocides
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4/10/07 | Permalink
IBM Uses Second Life
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4/7/07 | Permalink
Free preview clips of all 23 songs from the upcoming Tori Amos “American Doll Posse” album
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Zen Internet and the Art of Blog
Want to get a daily dose of blog ZEN? Check out "Art of Blog," a site with a new quote each day from someone in the blogging community (including our lovely client Rae Hoffman) about, well, the art of blogging. Go. Meditate. Master you will become.
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“All Along the Watchtower” Ignites Battlestar Galactica Season Finale
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3/28/07 | Permalink
WTF CNN
Add two laughs with your morning coffee over at wtfcnn. Via.
3/27/07 | Permalink
Seth Godin on how the Purple Cow got Its moo
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Websites we’ve completed of late
We recently completed several client projects for Cobalt Solutions, SEO Class, Tracy Mayor and the Pacific Islands Center for Educational Development.
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the power of kindness
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