Brand Trust is a Must: Brand Relationships are HUMAN Relationships
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” –Shakespeare
When was the last time someone broke your trust? When was the last time you broke someone else’s trust? I’m willing to bet it was a pretty big deal. Maybe your relationship recovered. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe you’re on the fence about the person now, unsure whether or not you can trust him or her again.
It’s happened to everyone; relationships (whether romantic, friendly, or otherwise) aren’t always easy. But all great relationships have one thing in common: TRUST.
Same goes for any relationship between a consumer and a brand. Trust is a must! Brand loyalty is built on trust. When your customers trust your brand, they trust your business, your products and services, and your ability to meet their unique needs. Brand trust is what gives consumers the confidence they need to advocate for your brand.
What is your brand doing to cultivate trust among your potential and current customers? Are you guilty of any of these Brand Trust Fails? How can you regain that precious customer trust and brand confidence once it has faltered?
Brand Trust Fail # 1: Bad Customer Service
“Friendship—my definition—is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don’t have trust, the friendship will crumble.” –Stieg Larsson
Just like You Are Your Brand, every person your customer touches, from your creative team members to your in-house employees is a brand representative and a brand advocate. If your team constantly fails to put on a smile and treat each customer with respect, they’re stifling your business and damaging your brand with each interaction.
Stressed and It Shows? 3 Serious Stress Busters!
This time of year can be really draining, especially with this crazy cold winter we’ve been experiencing! We’re longing for warmth, we’re too cooped up, we need more sunlight, we’re overtired, and it seems like everyone is sick.
But don’t get too down now—spring is on the way! Longer days and sunny skies are just around the corner. So let’s take a minute to talk about stress and how to deal with it. We like to say “You Are Your Brand”—so if you’re stressed and it shows, you could be negatively affecting your brand and your business.
Stress is No Joke
The top 3 causes of stress in the United States are: 1.) Job Pressure (Co-Worker Tension, Bosses, Work Overload), 2.) Money (Loss of Job, Reduced Retirement, Medical Expenses), and 3.) Health (Health Crisis, Terminal or Chronic Illness). While most people experience these types of stressors on a regular basis, I’m betting that all you entrepreneurs and business owners out there are nodding in agreement. Yes, it sounds familiar—I know.
You run a tight and tough ship every day—and, hey, sometimes the stress gets to all of us. Just because you’re running the show doesn’t mean getting stressed out from time to time is a sign of weakness. Stress is serious! Too much stress can negatively affect how you perform at your job and how you interact with your friends and family. When your working and personal relationships suffer, your brand also suffers.
It’s time to look beyond these winter blues and start developing some great habits to boost your positivity and productivity, even if that groundhog’s shadow keeps standing in the way of spring.
What are YOU Afraid Of? Public Speaking, Perhaps?
There are a lot of things in life to be afraid of, some real, some imagined. In fact, 6.3 million Americans have a diagnosed phobia. While your phobias may go undiagnosed, we all have our weak points: spiders, heights, flying—you name it! Usually, these everyday fears don’t affect your life much—but what happens when your fears get in the way of how you run your business?
The fear of public speaking is a super common fear, even among successful business owners. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 75% of people have a fear of public speaking. So all those enviable successful business owners standing up to speak at conferences and conventions? Most of them are likely just as terrified of public speaking as you may be!
Scared of the Crowd? I Feel Ya.
Last week, I gave a talk to creatives at the University of Houston. Just like any other time, I got jittery before my talk, but unlike any I have done before, I arrived late (due to flights cancelled and delayed). I had to, on the fly, take a 50 minute speech and shave it down to a 20 minute speech. But like always once I got going, the momentum of my speech and of the audience swept me away. I overcame the terrifying obstacle, the talk went well and I was pleased by the feedback I received. (Much thanks to the Theater Department, I had a wonderful time.)
Your Confidence is Showing: Developing Your Brand Snapshot
When introducing yourself and your services (either in person or online), are you showing your stuff or do you sound unprofessional?
For those of you still struggling to define your business and your brand, you might feel like you’re looking up from the bottom of a 1,000-step ladder. Don’t worry: as you grow your business and come into your own, you’ll naturally become more confident in not only what you do, but in the value you provide others through your products and services.
Your Confidence Matters
While your ability to communicate your value will most definitely improve over time, RIGHT NOW you need to be able to convey exactly what you do at a moment’s notice. Sounds simple, right? You might be surprised how often people slip up completely, especially when put on the spot.
Here’s the thing: You Are Your Brand. So every time you present yourself unprofessionally and/or without firm confidence, you’re directly damaging your brand. The roots of great branding start with an in-the-know, confident business owner and team dedicated to creating positive brand interactions between your company and your customers.
Your Brand Snapshot
We call it your Brand Snapshot: it’s a quick pic of your business as a whole. Here are some basic questions you need to have mastered BEFORE you speak to anyone about your business and your products and/or services:
New Year, New…Brand? Launch Your New Brand in 2014
With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, you may be inspired to reconsider or better establish your company brand. After all, football season means stadiums packed to the brim with team colors—everything from official team apparel right down to each player’s mouth guard is colored to signify allegiance to the team.
Plus, with advertising priced at an incredible $4 million for 30 seconds of ad time, you’d better believe the best brands are going to be out and about strutting their stuff!
When you brand or rebrand your business, you’re either breathing life into a new business or you’re breathing new life into your current business. Maybe you’re starting from scratch, or maybe you’re ready for a change. Either way, sometimes it’s hard to know where to even begin. Keep in mind, brand improvements are an ongoing process–so if you think it’s time for a change, you’re probably right, so it’s time to get ready!
Before You Brand
Before you get down and dirty, ready to update, establish or perfect your brand, you should work through the following exercises for best results (if you haven’t already):
- Define or redefine your company goals for the year.
- Complete your market research. Think about WHO will most benefit from your products and/or services and define your target audience. Has this target audience changed over the last year?
- Define or redefine your positioning. Ask yourself: What makes my company unique? Why would my target audience choose my company over others?
- Do your research to be sure your new business name is available and not already a registered trademark http://ndrichardson.com/blog/2012/09/18/protect-your-brands-value-trademark/. Good to go? Secure your new domain name and social media accounts.
Your 2014 Content Marketing Plan – A 3 Step Guide
“Where do I even start? I’m overwhelmed!” …is this you?
Even if you understand how content marketing is crucial for the ongoing success of your business and your brand, actually creating a content marketing plan for 2014 can be a totally time-consuming task. You might envision creating a slew of blog posts, eBooks, eNewsletters, new website content like articles and whitepapers, social media updates, and more. Now that takes a lot of planning—and that’s just the written content marketing pieces!
So if you’re serious about launching a real content marketing strategy to extend your brand reach this year, there’s just NO way you’re going to be successful without a workable plan in place.