MAKE YOUR MARK
Happy New Year and all the best in 2022. I want to thank Lowell Harder, publisher of the High Country News for this opportunity to connect with the readers outside of my previous role as the local RVC Councillor. I certainly feel more comfortable in this forum bringing monthly advice and tips to people intent on building their business or personal brand from my years in the advertising-design biz.
To give you some perspective, I’ve been in marketing for over three decades. Specifically I’ve battled in advertising- design departments as an art director and expanding into the role of creative director in many creative war-rooms. It’s in my blood.
Without getting into too many details about my qualifications, take a look at my work through my career on www.adsamurai.com or where I currently hang my shingle at www.admaki.ca. As you’ll see, I’ve worked on a variety of local and international business categories ranging from professional sports franchises to fast food and automotive companies. I’ve also worked with government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. At the end of the day, working with and getting to know the struggles smaller business owners and organizations face, however, is my greatest creative challenge.
As this is my first article, I’ll keep it short and simple. In fact, I’ll make this “homework” or better yet, “businesswork” for you to get thinking about where your business is now and where you would like to see it in the future. If you’re completely happy with things as they are now, no need to read any further. Congratulations. Turn the page.
For the rest of us, ask yourself the following question: What is my business or personal brand? Do you even know what a brand is? Many business owners confuse it with a logo, their website, or their latest social media campaign or post. Wrong! Those are just tools used to market your brand. Marketing uses short term tactics to reach out to your target audience to connect them to your brand. The brand is long term. It’s not tangible. The creative marketing aspect of any business is only a small but significant slice of the bigger marketing strategy pie. I’ll speak to that in future articles.
You can search what a brand is on the internet and there you’ll find many different definitions from many different professionals. Yes, your head will spin.
As for me, I’ve always kept it simple. What a brand is to me is simply “the impression your product/service leaves with a customer after they’ve engaged with your product or service. It’s the emotional connection after the interaction”. That’s it. Make it authentic and memorable and you’ll have a customer or friend for life. Piss them off and your brand will quickly be tarnished and hence reflect in your bottom line.
As a small business owner, maneuvering through this pandemic will once again be challenging. To cut through the thousands of messages we get bombarded with daily, you better make sure your brand cuts through and gets noticed. Be unique. Be entertaining. Be memorable.
Take a close look at your business and ask yourself “What’s my business’ personality?” Call me should you have any questions.
Until next month.
Cheers, mark
