Sunday, February 21, 2010

Arm Yourself With My 25 Item Brand Arsenal!


1. Business card
Your business card is your personal billboard. Use both sides and make it as professional as possible. This is your image, don't cheap out.

2. Business stationary
Hardcopy: envelopes, letterhead, checks, proposals
Digital: invoices, statements, proposals
Make sure each item has a consistent image with your business cards

3. Signage
If you have a bricks and mortar location your sign must match your business cards and stationary

4. Brochure
Professional full color paper presentation. Include pictures of people and express to your target audience what's in it for them. Touch on their pain points.

5. Postcards
These are great leave behinds. You can focus on individual pain points.

6. Presentation folders
Some businesses need these to submit RFPs and quotes. Make sure they match other materials.

7. Banner stand and/or trade show booth
For use in trade/consumer show, speaking engagements, networking etc.

8. Back banners
These are handy for charity events and small events

9. Digital presentations (PowerPoint)
For speaking opportunities where you can spread your message of the day. Be sure your brand image is on every slide

10. Resource website
A website that has information users can take advantage of. Not simply a brochure site. Have an email harvester on the home page

11. Blogs
Have your own blog speaking to your audience and also write for larger more established blogs

12. Digital email giveaways (ebooks, videos, white papers, podcasts etc.)
For use with the email harvester to build your opt-in email audience

13. Digital picture of yourself in various resolutions
You will need this to send to various media people for articles about you, for use on profile pages etc.

14. Canned digital ads
To submit to charity events, website banners and general marketing efforts

15. Canned bio
For publicity requests and linking back to you. Keep it up to date with current bragging points

16. Digital versions of logo in various resolutions
For linking, charity events, profile pages etc.

17. Belong to various social and networking media
Using vehicles like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and others, you can constantly develop relationships with individuals

18. email marketing service
Keep your message in front of your audience on a regular basis

19. PayPal pay area on your website
Make it easy to get paid, removes some of the risk.

20. Join networking groups on and offline
Look for ways to connect with professionals in your target audience and build resources and co-op opportunities

21. Volunteer (give-back)
This is where you can give back to your communities. Great for personal branding

22. email signature
This is the bottom of your emails, be sure all your contact info is there as well as your slogan or positioning statement (like an ad in every email)

23. professional email address
Don't use anonymous email addresses like anyname@gmail.com as this doesn't look like your a serious brand. Every connection on a professional level exposes your brand

24. Logoed swag
Good giveaway stuff for grab bags, keeping your brand out front, reminders

25. Logoed apparel
If appropriate, it can position you in environments where you are positioned as a product or the culture admires it

The number one rule of everything mentioned here is absolute and utter consistency to a fault. It will not only strengthen your brand image, but build trust and respect for you. You will absolutely recognize the power of a consistent brand image regularly. People WILL notice and tell you so!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks! This helped a lot! I've seen several
rather confusing blogs lately, this cleared up some confusion I had.

Ed Roach said...

I'm glad to be of help.

 
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