May
17
I gave a presentation to a group of Small Business Owners at the Mt. Shasta Chamber Of Commerce Membership Meeting in April.
It was my first speaking engagement where people were simultaneously eating lunch, but I held my own against the tantalizing cuisine at Lalo’s Mexican Restaurant.
Mt. Shasta Chamber members enjoy some lunchtime networking
From my vantage point, seeing all those faces in the packed room listening intently and really “getting” some of the points I was making was a thrill. Also, I’m personally a big fan of taking notes, so seeing many people furiously jotting things down in their notepads as I spoke earned big points in my book. After all, information is only effective is you remember it, AND put it to use.
My topic was, “Why Branding Is Essential for Small Business,” and the video above is a short highlight of some key points.
One of my earlier BAM! Blog posts was also about this important topic, click here for a detailed post on the subject.
It was great fun to interact with all the Small Business Owners in the community
For a written recap of my presentation, I offer the following summary of my speech:
What is Branding?
A brand is the public perception of a person, product or company (it’s actually the same thing as your reputation). This perception exists in the public’s mind, so you don’t own it, the public does. The best you can do is work hard to positively influence the perception. Everything that your company does to influence your brand is known as branding. The key is to know how you want to position your company in the mind of your audience and make sure every touch point reinforces your unique and meaningful position.
What is a Brand Promise?
Your Brand Promise conveys the single greatest benefit of doing business with your company. This Promise can be kept internal as a motivational rallying cry to inspire your staff, or it can be touted in your marketing materials as a headline, tagline or in the body copy. Just be sure that whatever your Brand Promise is, you create a company culture around it and live your brand.
Why is it important?
Because it’s a competitive marketplace. There are many competitors offering the same solutions as you, so you need to focus on your company’s own unique and meaningful difference. The idea is to position your company as THE go-to provider of solutions to your customers’ problems. Business is about relationships, so the more you connect with your audience on an emotional level, the stronger your brand will be.
The guy in the back corner gets the floor for his moment of networking glory
How do I create a strong brand?
By determining what’s important to your audience as well as what makes you different as a company. There are many ways to do this, and I offer detailed options in my aforementioned blog post, Why Branding Matters for Small Business.
How does branding fit into our overall marketing strategy?
An effective marketing strategy begins with a clear Brand Promise. Knowing what your company stands for, and what benefit your offering provides allows you to craft a Meaningful Marketing Message that will reach your Ideal Audience through your various Marketing Channels.
In other words: Find the appropriate Tools, to reach your Ideal Audience with a Core Marketing Message that speaks to your Brand Promise.
Nikolas Allen lets the branding tips fly fast and furious as the note-takers try to keep up
One final note from a marketing standpoint: Speaking engagements are a great networking and marketing tool. In fact, by doing this presentation, I got half a dozen names on my mailing list (Leads), and am currently working with three Small Business Owners (Hot Prospects) who saw the presentation and have entered the sales cycle to see how BAM! Small Biz Consulting can help them grow their business.
The outcome of this meeting was that many people got lots of free, valuable information, I got my own name and brand out in the community, and the Small Business Owners who were ready to take action have stepped forward. Sounds like a win-win-win situation all the way around!
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If you need help determining how to use branding for your company, contact BAM! Small Biz Consulting for your FREE Needs Assessment. Phone: Nikolas Allen (530) 859.5454 • Email: bamsbc@gmail.com
It was great to have you in the front row. I appreciate your support! ~ Nikolas 
