Build Your Unique Brand🏢

Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms.

Simon Mainwaring

What is branding?

“The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.”

When was the last time you have reviewed your company brand? Is your brand strategy competitive? Most importantly does it represent the voice of your business? These are questions we as entrepreneurs must ask ourselves. Branding is important to all businesses be they big, small or startup. Your brand is indicative of who you are.

Build a strong foundation.

The logo. This symbol is how consumers recognize your business. Make it secure in what you want your company to represent. Visual identity is crucial. The logo should also be versatile, capable of being used in all aspects of marketing. When seeking a logo the best option is to review may different options before deciding on the final one. The opinion of fellow entrepreneurs, family, and friends can be quite helpful.

Who are you? 

I have worked with many entrepreneurs who describe their business as an extension of themselves or their baby. If you are of like mind, then it is important to ask yourself the following questions.

• What is the company mission?
• What are the characteristics of the business?
• How will my values be perceived?
• How will consumers view the features and benefits of my products and services?
• Will my customers be loyal to my brand?

Answering these questions will ensure a strong brand identity. Once you have thoroughly studied your responses to these questions then once again examine your logo.

Brand formalized.

At this point in the branding process, you have a logo in place; a catchy tagline and mission statement carved in stone. Now is the time to go live. Put the word out about your startup; your intent is to break the internet with the news of your business. Social media is the perfect accomplice in this journey. Here are a few ways to introduce your business.

• Company website.
• Blog
• Facebook Page
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn

All of the following allow you to build a community or a forum for you to advertise your services and your product. Pay much more attention to the comments and questions of your customers. There are many benefits to utilizing these and other social media sites. Use social media to your advantage through regular and memorable posts. Smart marketing tactics will not only put your business in front of consumers but also ahead of the competition. Leads and sales are important, but consistency will prove to be much more lucrative. Put forth the necessary effort and care into building your brand; it will withstand the tests of time and make you a success.

 

Quote Courtesy of Brainy Quotes

Branding definition from the business dictionary.

Featured branding image by Peggy_Marco.

Self Image by John Hain

Social Media Image by Geralt

 

A Truly Professional Truck Driver

“Appearance matters a great deal because you can often tell a lot about people by looking at how they present themselves.”

When you think about a professional truck driver, the first thing that comes to mind is someone who drives trucks for a living. If I then asked you to describe a truck driver, some would use the following adjectives…. loud, rude, dirty, smelly, unkempt, etc. These words would be a true description for many but not for all.

I have encountered truck drivers besides my Jimmy (TruckersLife09), who care about their appearance and are very intelligent. You would be surprised to know that countless truck drivers are military veterans. Like ourselves they are continuing to serve their country. It is embedded in the mind of a veteran to be presentable and inspection ready at all times. We take pride in that! I’m not saying veterans are the only presentable truck drivers. There are those who look like something the cat coughed up!!! Your local trash collector looks, smells, and can articulate better. if given the opportunity you would rather deal with him.

I remember a day when Jimmy delivering a load to a Walmart Distribution Center. Presentable as always with his short sleeved polo shirt, a white thermal underneath to protect his arms from the cold. His jeans were crisply pressed and clean Nike sneakers. Jimmy is a clean shaven type of guy he sports a goatee and bald head and wears Polo Blue Cologne. I could understand why he received so many compliments from the ladies in the shipping and receiving offices of his many customers. Continuing to survey the other drivers coming and going I saw why people have such a bad perception of truck drivers. Disgusted by the parade of men and women wearing filthy clothes, tank tops and half buttoned shirts, pants hanging low beneath buttocks, pajama bottoms and flip- flops. They all looked as if they had not showered in months.

Suddenly, a sparkling clean red and chrome PeterBilt truck pulled up on the passenger’s side. Of course, being the type of woman that loves old muscle cars, bikes (not crotch rockets) and trucks. I had to examine this beautiful machine! My expectation was for a dirty, unkempt guy to descend from this beautiful rig. This handsome gentleman with clean brown cowboy boots, wranglers with a shiny truck belt buckle, red flannel shirt and a brown cowboy hat stepped down. He descended from the rig as if dismounting the most beautiful stallion you have ever seen. The smell of Old Stetson wafted in the window, the elixir mesmerized me further into a trance. The anonymous cowboy looked up at me high on my perch, tipped his hat with a smile and moseyed on. Needless to say I blushed and giggled like a shy little school girl.

Jimmy and his fellow driver are living examples of how a professional driver should look. It’s not difficult to maintain a presentable appearance while over the road. Companies like Averitt and Walmart have resorted to requiring their drivers to wear uniforms. I’m sure there are countless drivers who would not like the idea of converting to uniforms. It’s imperative that drivers influence one another to pull up their pants, wash their clothes and conduct business with a fresh clean appearance. Maintaining respect for yourself demands respect from those you come in contact with, not only for you but for your company as well.

Transitioning Your Business in The Growing Virtual Industry

“The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change.” –Bill Clinton

Small and large business are considering all possibilities available to cut company costs while remaining a stable competitor in their industry. Businesses have laid off employees and many have transitioned to remote workers. Abandoning their traditional businesses for a remote work environment? A few companies are still deliberating on making the change.

Change…. A word or action not many of us appreciate. In my opinion, change can be good. Change is constant and cannot be stopped. It can also determine the success of your business.

In the mid to late 1990’s, companies allowed employees to telecommute if they had a sick child or if the employee was considerably ill. At that time working from home or virtually was not popular. Only three percent of Americans worked from home in the 1990’s. Companies considered employees out of the office as a loss in productivity.

Time has definitely changed, small and large companies are adapting to the change for many reasons. Business owners are recognizing the benefits of hiring remote workers. Listed are a few of the benefits they are using to their advantage. Also a few of the benefits I present to prospective clients.

• Cut company costs.
• Increase productivity.
• Maintain morale/ loyalty.
• Communicate effectively.

Hiring remote employees gives business owners the ability to save money. No need to lease and equip a brick and mortar environment. Tax and healthcare costs are minimal as well as other expenditures that comes with work in a traditional business environment. The money saved can be funneled into other areas of the business to promote growth.

Productivity increases in a virtual environment. Freelancers, virtual assistants and customer service representatives are less likely to call in sick. Work hours are more flexible, this flexibility benefits parents, those with chronic ailments and the business owner. Weekends, holidays and part- time hours are no longer frowned upon.

Office politics is a thing of the past. Morale in the work place determines the performance of employees. Those who choose to hire remote workers no longer suffer from low productivity. Negative water cooler gossip and emails can be a virus in the workplace dramatically decreasing productivity. When there is a team of virtual workers, the level communication is different. Virtual workers are upbeat and positive, they love their working environment and their jobs. When an employee is happy they are prepared to take on any task that comes their way.

Communication is a key factor for all businesses. Traditionally, all is not well when an employee is working on an important project and is out sick. Often times it’s hard to call an emergency meeting in a brick and mortar environment. As a virtual assistant, I have been party to many last minute meetings. A sudden document revision needed on the fly or an emergency social media update. There are so many ways to stay in constant contact. Over the past few years’ virtual communication has grown significantly, thus making it easier to conduct meetings and pass on important breaking news.

The decision making process for hiring remote workers can be a “no brainer” for some business owners. Understandably, every business has its own work processes. Business owners considering making the transition should carefully weigh the features and the benefits. Start by asking yourself a few key questions.

• How can I cut company costs?
• What can I outsource?
• How can I free up some of my time?
• How can I increase business growth?

Once you have outlined the features, benefits and conducted the necessary research the decision making process will be straightforward.  Lack of knowledge is what generally prevents the transition. I have found out this key fact as I market my services to businesses. Seek out virtual assistants who offer free consultations. Top assistants have the ability to assist you in how to cut costs without compromising your brand. They should also save you time by efficiently supporting you administratively giving you the ability to grow your business.

My primary purpose for writing this informational article/ blog post is to inform entrepreneurs. In hopes that the information I share will assist the business industry which keeps America thriving. I also wanted to highlight the fact that virtual workers can be an asset to your organization. If this helps one business owner, I have done my job!

Quote by Bill Clinton courtesy of http://www.inc.com/dave-kerpen/11-powerful-quotes-to-inspire-your-team-to-embrace-change.html

Images courtesy of https://pixabay.com/