Building a Remarkable Brand

Episode Recap

This episode of the podcast is all about giving you some easy-to-implement tips and helpful strategies so you can start building an authentic brand on social media.

Building an Authentic Personal Brand on Social Media

We are all in the relationship building business, and one of the best ways you can start building meaningful relationships with real people is to intentionally start building an authentic brand on social media. This is not about how to market your business or sell your products, it’s about creating a brand around yourself, connecting with other like-minded people, and posting great content.

Step 1 – Get your profile right

Make sure all of your profiles are filled out, complete with a photo of your smiling face (not your dog), and a great mantra or tagline.

Step 2 – Take a stance

People want to know what you stand for and what you believe in, so make a list! Write them all down and then identify the most important ones for you. You can also list some of the things you are against, but be careful with this one. You don’t want to come across as negative or judgemental.

Step 3 – Share great content

Identify people inside and outside your network that you can connect with. Like and share their stuff, comment on their posts, or tag them in your posts. The idea is to make connections with real people who share your interests. Next, list 20 or so ideas of content you can share like videos, images, infographics, surveys, ask questions, do Facebook Live videos, share your own content like blog posts and podcasts.

Remember we are building our personal brand but who we are in our personal life is reflective of who we are in business. Our business beliefs and personal beliefs should be in alignment. We do business with real humans in the real world – so show the real world who you are, be authentic, be real, and they will naturally be drawn to yo, and eventually to your business!

Links

A great book on building your brand on social media: The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick

Alltop is a great resource for curating content.

Podcast

The Building a Remarkable Brand podcast is all about giving you valuable insights and practical tips to help you build a remarkable brand.

Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Click here to submit your question.

Subscribe to the podcast: iTunes | Android | Soundcloud

Rate and review the show: If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.

How do you rate and review a podcast in iTunes? Check this out.

Episode Recap

In this episode of the podcast, Elisabeth Galperin and I talk about the importance of creating routines for better productivity.

Creating Routines for Better Productivity

Proactive Versus Reactive Work Style

When we operate in reactive mode we are simply responding to other’s urgent requests and needs. This can be very problematic as we may never get to the real work we need to get done.

The Importance of Routines

Routines are the lifeblood of successful entrepreneurs. When we create routines for ourselves we can be more productive, more creative, and get a lot more done.

The Need for Non-Traditional Work Environments

It’s a good idea to get out of your regular work environment, whether it’s a cubicle or your home office, and go somewhere where you can feel comfortable, and productive.

Elisabeth Galperin is the founder and owner of Turn Leaf Organizing LLC. Elisabeth assists business leaders and professionals to better manage space, time, and information. She works collaboratively with clients to improve business systems, implement effective processes, and increase profits.

Connect with Elisabeth: Website, Facebook, LinkedIn

Podcast

The Building a Remarkable Brand podcast is all about giving you valuable insights and practical tips to help you build a remarkable brand.

Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Click here to submit your question.

Subscribe to the podcast: iTunes | Android | Soundcloud

Rate and review the show: If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.

How do you rate and review a podcast in iTunes? Check this out.

Episode Recap

In this episode of the podcast, Claire Krawsczyn and I have an interesting and fun discussion around the idea of your business pitch and how to build a business pitch you’ll be excited about.

How to Build a Business Pitch You’ll Be Excited About

Know Your Story

Every business has a story. Do you know yours? Your business story should certainly talk about what you do…but it should also say WHY you do it. How do you help people? How do you save them time? How do you provide value?

Know Your Audience

I’m all about streamlining when you can. But, in the world of sharing your business’s story, it’s incredibly helpful to know your audience. If you’re at a networking event and you’re meeting people from all different types of industries, the same pitch might not work.

Be the Expert

The one thing I will say again and again – a business pitch only works if you believe in what you’re saying. If you’re excited about your business and you’re excited about how you can help someone, it’s going to be contagious. When you’re speaking with someone new about your business—be confident and remember that you’re the expert!

Claire Krawsczyn is an experienced content creation specialist and the owner of The Verano Group. The Verano Group is all about helping businesses craft and share their brand story and take their communication strategy to the next level.

Connect with Claire: Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, email

Podcast

The Building a Remarkable Brand podcast is all about giving you valuable insights and practical tips to help you build a remarkable brand.

Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Click here to submit your question.

Subscribe to the podcast: iTunes | Android | Soundcloud

Rate and review the show: If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.

How do you rate and review a podcast in iTunes? Check this out.

Episode Recap

In this episode of the podcast, Sharon Cornuelle and I discuss the importance of video and specifically how to use video as an integral part of your marketing strategy.

Three reasons why using video as a marketing strategy is so effective:

* Video does a better job of telling your story

* Video attracts more viewers than written posts or images

* You can build deeper, more meaningful connections with your audience

How to Use Video as an Integral Part of Your Marketing Strategy

1. Your Brand Spots Should Have a Place to Live

Branded ad spots are not just for the big players. You can use these to create meaningful and engaging commercials for your products or service. Be sure to create a place for them to live like Vimeo or YouTube and link to these from other channels.

2. Use Video Snippets for Better ROI

When creating your videos be sure to plan so you can pull out some shorter snippets to be used as 30-second spots and 10-second Facebook ads.

3. Video Podcasts and Video Blogs Easy & Effective

Podcasting is coming into its own and is still a great way for you to build your credibility, likeability, and trust with your audience.

4. Everyone Should be Using Facebook Live Now

Facebook is promoting Facebook Live like crazy right now so get on it! You can also share your Facebook videos on other social platforms making this a great way to build a video library as well.

5. Don’t Forget YouTube Pre-roll Ads

The pre-roll ads run just before a YouTube video plays and can help build brand awareness if done properly.

Sharon Cornuelle is a video & social media marketing specialist. She’s been doing video production for over 20 years working on projects for both broadcast and corporate clients including Proctor & Gamble Beauty.

Connect with Sharon: Website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Podcast

The Building a Remarkable Brand podcast is all about giving you valuable insights and practical tips to help you build a remarkable brand.

Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Click here to submit your question.

Subscribe to the podcast: iTunes | Android | Soundcloud

Rate and review the show: If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.

How do you rate and review a podcast in iTunes? Check this out.

Episode Recap

In this episode of the podcast, we’re taking a deep dive into some very simple and practical ways you can create a more remarkable experience for your customers in real-life.

A few recent trips to local coffee shops has me scratching my head at why they can’t provide a better overall experience for their loyal customers.

5 ways to quickly improve your real-life customer experiences.

1. Create a mood that suits your brand

We want to feel like we’re someplace special, remember that all 5 senses are at play here. What does it look like, smell like, feel like, sound like? It’s a great idea to hire a professional commercial interior designer, one with experience in your category to create the right mood. We don’t want it to be too loud and not too quiet either; it’s not a nightclub and it’s not a church.

2. Encourage communication

People come to your place because they want to talk to each other. You should encourage this by providing large open areas for social gathering and mingling, but also intimate spaces where people can talk quietly. Lots of small tables vs a few big ones is something Starbucks has done recently to provide more intimate seating.

3. Provide amazing WiFi

People come to hang out, do work, surf the web, check in on social media, etc. and there is no excuse for poor WiFi connections. It’s a utility expense like water or electric, and you should treat it as such. I’ve met with clients at coffee shops and tried to show them their new website or maybe a website I built for another client and they are ridiculously slow. It’s actually embarrassing.

4. Keep things tidy and in good working order

The entire place needs to be impeccably clean at all times. Dirty bathrooms seem to be an afterthought but they are definitely a part of a customer’s overall experience of your brand. Wobbly tables and rickety chairs are seriously uncool. Fix that stuff right away. Because wobbly tables and full cups of boiling hot coffee isn’t just an annoyance, it could be the makings of a lawsuit.

5. Hire great people

This is a huge one and is often easier said than done, but it is critical to the life of your business. Hiting great people is probably the most important factor in a customer’s experience with your brand. Remember that your people are the main contact point between your brand and your customer, in essence, they ARE your brand. A server or barista having a bad day can ruin a customer’s experience forever.

Don’t hire for experience, hire for personality. You can always train someone to do a job, it’s much bigger challenge to train someone to be a nice person, or positive, upbeat, friendly, or not a jerk. They should also wear clean clothes, they should not smell bad (cigarettes, too much patchouli, not enough patchouli [read BO]).

They should know their stuff. They are representing your brand so they should have a wealth of knowledge about your food, your coffee, the roasting process, the origin of the beans, etc.

Podcast

The Building a Remarkable Brand podcast is all about giving you valuable insights and practical tips to help you build a remarkable brand.

Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Click here to submit your question.

Subscribe to the podcast: iTunes | Android | Soundcloud

Rate and review the show: If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds,

It's a new year and we're off to a fresh start here at Focus 5 Design. Today's episode is all about rebranding, and specifically about rebranding Focus 5 Design and the Focus 5 Design podcast.

In today's competitive market there's just no place for a watered-down, one-size-fits-all brand. You need to be uber-focused on a very specific customer type if you want to remain relevant and successful. Today's focus is on defining and delivering amazing experiences to your ideal customer. Because, whether you like it or not, you can't be all things to all people.

Matthew Minidis can be best summed up as a creative individual who art directs the digital presence of some of the best-known brands in the world. His expertise lies in branding, design, and conceptual thinking across numerous digital channels including content creation, website design, social media, and banner advertising. With over 10 years in the commercial arts, he freelances at advertising agencies up and down the west coast.

We talk a lot about how we help people. But what does their transformation look like? We want to identify how our customers' lives are transformed because of our products, our services, or interacting with our brand. Today we're going to focus on how you can easily describe your customers' transformation.

Edward Cannan is a serial entrepreneur who specializes in the creation, production, marketing and sales of consumer goods related to health and nutrition. Combining years of experience in the luxury business of consumer goods (LVMH), Edward has transitioned to the world of health and nutrition by starting his own ventures in 2011. More recently Edward has decided to start a new revolutionary business which aims to help people to consume more fruits and veggies. Leap Organic Smoothies are organic, whole food, plant-based dehydrated smoothies that have been created in partnership with health experts, and are now available online and in select retails stores in LA.

Suggested Interview

Edward wants to hear from Matthew Minidis. Matthew is an art director, designer, and inventor, and works on some of the best-known brands in the world.

Call to Action

Remember that while it may not always be easy…it will always be worth it! We tend to want things to be fast and easy but the reality is it’s rarely like that. We need to be able to embrace the journey instead of just focusing on the end goal, whatever that may be. Your goals may change over time, you may change the focus of your business altogether, try to remember that the journey is what it’s all about.

Remarkable Brand of the Week

Edward’s nod to the remarkable brand this week is Spartan Race. A Spartan race is a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances. They are held in USA and have been franchised to 14 countries including Canada, Europe, South Korea, and Australia. They’ve built quite a community of passionate followers.

Links

Be sure to check out Leap Smoothies on their website or on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

We also discussed Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall, and Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan.

Podcast

Play this episode of the podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on: iTunes | Android | Soundcloud

Rate and review the show: If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.

How do you rate and review a podcast in iTunes? Check this out.