Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Branding 5
Chapter 1: Wrapping Your Brain around Branding 7
Understanding What a Brand Is and Does 8
Recognizing Different Brand Types 9
Business or corporate brand 10
Product brand 10
Service brand 11
Personal brand 12
Other brand types 13
Grasping Brand Architecture Basics 13
Knowing When to Brand 14
Opening a new business 15
Promoting an existing business 15
Introducing a new product or service 16
Furthering your career 16
Becoming an influencer or a celebrity 17
Fundraising for a not-for-profit organization 18
Raising capital for your business 18
Expanding into new markets 19
Stepping Through the Branding Process 19
Step 1: Creating something to brand 19
Step 2: Positioning and defining your brand 19
Step 3: Establishing your branding goals 20
Step 4: Defining your brand’s customer avatar 20
Step 5: Creating a brand style guide 21
Step 6: Building a branded website, app, and email account 21
Step 7: Forming strategic partnerships 22
Step 8: Launching your brand 22
Step 9: Promoting your brand 22
Step 10: Caring for and protecting your brand 23
Chapter 2: Creating and Financing Your Brand 25
Deciding What You’re Going to Brand 25
Business or corporate brand 26
Product brand 27
Service brand 28
Personal brand 28
Identifying or Creating a Niche Market 29
Solving a difficult problem 30
Fulfilling an unmet need (or creating one) 31
Specializing to create a new market niche 31
Offering something unique 31
Formalizing Your Brand As a Business? If You Haven’t Already 32
Incorporating your business 32
Registering your business 35
Financing Your Business/Brand 37
Budgeting for your business/brand 37
Creating a business plan 38
Getting grants 39
Financing with debt and equity 40
Exploring alternative financing options 41
Chapter 3: Positioning and Defining Your Brand 43
Positioning Your Brand 44
Choosing a brand positioning strategy 44
Checking out the competition 47
Identifying what makes your brand different and better 48
Identifying your place on a brand positioning map 49
Writing your brand positioning statement 50
Defining Your Brand Identity 51
Establishing your brand’s mission and values 51
Exploring your brand’s personality 53
Writing your brand identity statement 54
Naming Your Brand 56
Following brand naming parameters 57
Brainstorming brand names 58
Choosing the best brand name 58
Chapter 4: Clarifying Your Branding Goals 59
Identifying Your Branding Goals/Objectives 60
Increasing brand recognition and awareness 60
Creating an emotional connection 63
Differentiating your business, product, service, or self 64
Building credibility and trust 64
Driving sales 65
Creating Your One-Year Branding Plan 66
Monitoring and Evaluating the Success of Your Branding Efforts 66
Choosing metrics and key performance indicators 67
Collecting and analyzing data: The tools of the trade 68
Chapter 5: Defining and Refining Your Customer Avatars 69
Discovering Who Your Target Customers Are 70
Identifying your target customers 71
Gathering and analyzing data about your target customers 71
Evaluating your customers’ interests 74
Finding out where customers go and what they do 76
Describing Your Customer Avatars in Your Own Words 77
Redefining Your Customer Avatars As They Evolve 78
Putting Your Customer Avatars to Work 79
Part 2: Attending to Brand Fundamentals 81
Chapter 6: Creating a Brand Style Guide, Media Kit, and Templates 83
Creating a Brand Style Guide 84
Appreciating a style guide’s value 84
Setting corporate guidelines 86
Creating a color palette 86
Establishing typographical guidelines 89
Designing a logo 90
Specifying guidelines for photos, illustrations, and other artwork 92
Setting guidelines for voice and tone 93
Assembling and Using a Media Kit 94
Creating your own media kit 94
Targeting your media kit to your audience 95
Deciding when to send a media kit 96
Creating Your Own Branded Templates 96
Chapter 7: Building a Branded Website, App, and Email Account 99
Going It Alone or Hiring a Developer 100
Doing it yourself 100
Hiring a developer 102
Claiming Your Domain Name and Choosing a Hosting Service 104
Choosing and registering a domain name 104
Choosing a hosting service and plan 105
Walking Through the Basics of Building a Website 107
Choosing the right site type and elements to include on your site 107
Installing a CMS (or not) 108
Choosing a theme 110
Integrating your logo and other brand assets 110
Posting content 111
Making your site easy to navigate 114
Driving Traffic to Your Site 115
Making your site attractive to search engines 115
Building incoming links 116
Promoting your site 117
Using Web Analytics to Improve Your Online Branding Activities 118
Setting up Google Analytics 118
Checking out your site’s Google Analytics 120
Establishing a Branded Email Account 121
Launching a Branded App 122
Chapter 8: Writing Copy That Supports Your Brand Messaging 125
Exploring Types of Copy You Can Use to Promote Your Brand 126
Advertising copy 126
Audio/video scripts 127
Blog posts 127
Books 129
Catalog copy: Product descriptions and listings 129
Email messages 129
Press releases 130
Social media profiles and posts 130
Web pages 131
White papers 132
Deciding Whether to Fly Solo or Hire a Copywriter 133
Creating an Editorial Calendar 133
Crafting Brand-Boosting Copy 134
Maximizing Your Reach with Search Engine Optimization 136
Recognizing the difference between discovery and search 136
Strategy time! 138
Chapter 9: Building Strategic Partnerships 141
Considering Potential Benefits and Risks of Strategic Partnerships 142
Potential benefits 142
Possible risks 143
Finding and Selecting a Cobranding Partner 143
Identifying your why 144
Developing a list of selection criteria 144
Evaluating potential partners 145
Checking out successful cobranding partnerships 147
Developing and Delivering a Pitch for a Strategic Partnership 148
Determining what you want from the partnership 148
Defining your value proposition 149
Pitching your proposal 151
Building an email template 152
Agreeing on the Terms of Your Partnership 154
Steering Clear of Common Partnership Pitfalls 154
Chapter 10: Launching Your Brand 157
Planning Your Launch Campaign 157
Deciding where to launch 158
Confirming your key target audiences 159
Creating a to-do list 159
Timing your launch for maximum impact 160
Creating a launch calendar 162
Preparing incentives for initial customers 162
Choosing metrics for success and establishing your benchmarks 163
Budgeting for your launch 164
Launching your brand internally 165
Tapping the Power of the Press to Launch Your Brand 166
Deciding whether to hire a PR firm 167
Creating a hit list for press and influencers 167
Creating a brand launch press release 168
Improving Your Campaign’s Chances of Going Viral 170
Part 3: Building A Strong Brand Presence 173
Chapter 11: Creating In-Person Experiences 175
Creating a Pop-Up Shop 176
Scoping out your options 176
Planning a physical pop-up shop 178
Promoting your pop-up shop 180
Getting your physical pop-up shop up and running 180
Getting Your Products into Stores 181
Laying the groundwork 181
Identifying stores to launch in 182
Creating a line sheet 183
Preparing samples 183
Developing your pitch 183
Negotiating an agreement 184
Choosing and working with a manufacturer 185
Taking Advantage of Marketing Event Opportunities 186
Attending and participating in trade shows, conferences, and expos 186
Hosting seminars in your area of expertise 187
Hosting other events 189
Landing event sponsorships 189
Chapter 12: Blogging, Podcasting, and YouTubing 191
Appreciating the Value of Content Marketing 192
Promoting Your Brand Via Podcasting 192
Naming your podcast 193
Gearing up to podcast 193
Recording, editing, and uploading a podcast 198
Blogging to Promote Your Brand 203
Choosing a blogging platform 203
Naming your blog 204
Composing blog entries 204
Posting blog entries 206
Engaging with your readers 207
Working with guest bloggers 208
Spreading the word about your blog 208
Building Brand Recognition with Online Videos 209
Recognizing the different genres you can use to promote your brand 209
Recording a video 210
Editing your video 211
Uploading videos to YouTube 211
Creating a branded thumbnail 212
Creating a branded YouTube channel 213
Monetizing Your Content 215
Chapter 13: Promoting Your Brand via Social Media 217
Getting Started with Branding on Social Media 218
Scoping out popular platforms 219
Choosing different metrics for different platforms 224
Following the Rules of the Road 225
Optimizing your social media profile 225
Posting regularly 226
Monitoring and responding to posts 227
Choosing your friends carefully 227
Harnessing the Power of Photos and Video 228
Taking your own photos on a budget 228
Recording and posting video content 229
Hiring content creators 229
Teaming Up with Influencers 230
Micro influencer versus macro influencer 231
Paid influencer versus organic influencer 231
Saving Time and Effort with Social Media Management Tools 232
Planoly 232
Hootsuite 232
Tailwind 232
Buffer 233
Chapter 14: Email Marketing 235
Becoming a Trusted Sender 236
Defining Your Objectives 237
Building a Quality Email List 239
Composing Effective Email Messages 240
Sizing up your audience 241
Offering something of value 242
Creating From and Subject lines that grab people’s attention 243
Writing a clear call to action 244
Composing your message 245
Researching emails in your industry 246
Including images 246
A/B testing email copy 247
Exploring Email Marketing Platforms (Free and Paid) 248
Tracking Results: Email Metrics 249
Chapter 15: Boosting Brand Awareness with Paid Advertising 251
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Paid Advertising 252
Pros 252
Cons 253
Getting Started with Paid Advertising 253
Tapping the power of search engine marketing and pay-per-click advertising 254
Advertising on social media platforms 256
Advertising through popular podcasts 259
Paying influencers and other talent to promote your brand 260
Running TV and radio ads 262
Advertising in print media 263
Working with Advertising Agencies 264
Knowing when to outsource 264
Choosing the right advertising agency for your brand 265
Tracking Results 265
Chapter 16: Building a Vibrant Community around Your Brand 267
Starting with a Sense of Purpose 268
Formulating a community-building strategy 268
Nurturing shared values 269
Support a common cause 271
Creating Safe Spaces 272
Stimulating Engagement 272
Welcoming newbies 273
Asking thought-provoking questions 274
Sharing user-generated content 274
Responding to questions and comments 275
Tagging people in posts 275
Taking a poll 276
Recognizing and rewarding community leaders 276
Empowering Your Community 277
Remaining Positive At All Times 277
Part 4: Feeding and Caring for Your Brand 279
Chapter 17: Scaling Your Brand Identity 281
Surveying Different Approaches to Scaling a Brand 282
Conducting a Brand Audit 283
Recognizing the benefits of a brand audit 283
Auditing your brand 283
Creating a Scaling Plan 285
Setting milestones 286
Sourcing products at larger quantities without sacrificing quality 286
Scaling a service brand 288
Outsourcing Responsibilities to Lighten Your Load 289
Hiring the right people 289
Choosing a contractor or employee 290
Using your brand style guide for training 290
Chapter 18: Building on Customer Loyalty and Longevity 293
Identifying Your Top Customers 294
Defining criteria for evaluating customer value 294
Collecting and organizing customer data 294
Rewarding Customer Loyalty 296
Creating a customer loyalty program 297
Creating and issuing discount codes 298
Expanding your offers 300
Getting Customer Feedback 301
Requesting feedback via email 302
Conducting an online survey 303
Soliciting testimonials 304
Gathering feedback via your blog 305
Requesting feedback at checkout 305
Encouraging Customers to Share Why They’re Loyal to Your Brand 306
Chapter 19: Dealing with Competition and Other Threats to Your Brand 309
Remaining Sensitive to the Changing Needs of Your Target Market 310
Keeping the Competition at Bay 311
Identifying your competition 311
Striving to go beyond quality and value 312
Staying abreast of changes in your industry 312
Focusing on innovation 313
Protecting Your Brand 314
Registering your business with government agencies 314
Trademarking your brand 314
Defending your trademarks 318
Preventing and Recovering from Publicity Disasters 319
Part 5: The Part of Tens 321
Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Make Your Marketing Campaigns Go Viral 323
Plan for Phenomenal Success 324
Build Your Email List 325
Get Emotional 326
Compose a Catchy Campaign Slogan 327
Never Underestimate the Power of Visuals 327
Choose Media Outlets Strategically 328
Pitch Your Brand to the Media 328
Extend Your Reach with Promoted Posts on Social Media 329
Use Hashtags to Generate Buzz 330
Make Your Message Easy to Share 330
Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Distinguish Your Brand from the Competition 331
Offer Quality Products/Services 332
Deliver Exceptional Customer Service 333
Target a Price Point 334
Offer a Guarantee or Warranty (or Both) 334
Cash in on Your Good Looks: Design 335
Become a Disrupter 336
Create a Unique Brand Experience 337
Carve Out a Niche for Yourself 338
Build Community Around Your Brand 338
Be a Force for Good 339
Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Drive Customers to Your Website 341
Treat Your Website as Brand Central 342
Use SEO to Your Advantage 342
Deliver Content That’s Fresh, Relevant, and Valuable to Your Target Market 343
Promote Your Content on Social Media 344
Spread the Word via Email 344
Take Advantage of Guest Blogging 345
Engage with Your Visitors 345
Post Useful Content on Reddit 346
Recruit Influencers 346
Answer Questions on Quora 347
Index 349
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