One of my first branding experiences in my professional life involved helping a religious non-profit organization develop a consistent brand. I was not the official person in charge of this but I was doing a lot of the leg work including redesigning the logo, advising on a video production, etc. At the time I was working for Outreach North America, the church planting and revitalization agency of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. ONA had hired Jeff Hathcock to help ONA market itself better to the churches and presbyteries of the ARP. In fact it was probably Jeff who drilled into me the importance of consistent branding which became a core focus of my company when I went into business for myself.

The concepts of branding and marketing may seem like “worldly” or less than noble concerns to many churches and non-profits for a variety of reasons, many of which are based on myths or misunderstanding of branding and marketing. Some of those include;

• It’s too expensive
• It’s a “worldly method” and we need to trust in God or our mission is “noble enough”
• If we focus too much on marketing we will look “showy” or our donors may think we are wasting their money.

They are many more but those are some of the most common objections and roadblocks to branding and marketing a church or non-profit organization. Sadly this attitude come across all to well. Jeff’s company, U-Turn, Inc. * specializes in church marketing among other things. One of the aspects of church branding and marketing he points out is the need project a clear message of what your church or organization is all about as opposed to how big of a noise you can make. You are probably thinking that church branding or marketing only involves signs, web sites, brochures, etc. but have you ever considered the building and grounds, Quality of the sunday school program or how visitors are greeted?

Maybe you are involved with a non-profit organization that is not a church. What are the concerns there? Often they are the exact same concerns. A limited budget, volunteer workers, perceived notion or worry about spending too much on “marketing”, etc. Having experience with some local non-profits groups I can tell you a lot of the concerns are the same. As a small business owner I am fascinated and encouraged that the concepts and skills of small business branding can apply to churches and non-profits as well. Including;

• Focusing on a core mission and communicating it with focus
• Taking advantage networking within the community at large, not just inside my “circle.” If you “preach to the choir” you may be facing the wrong way!
• You don’t have to spend a lot of money, just a little time to have a consistent image

When people think of your church or non-profit do they have a clear image of who you are and what you stand for? Does your brochures, business cards and web site all have the same message, logo and look clean and professional or does it look like it has been done by different people at different times?

One of SpinningSilk Multimedia’s core client bases is churches and non-profits, Especially churches and ministries in the ARP Church. We are also involved with quite a few community non-profit organizations that help our community grow. How can we help we help you based on that experience? What questions do you have based on our experience with churches or groups?

*Disclaimer- U-Turn, Inc. is also a client of SpinningSilk Multimedia

The concept of “branding” to a small business or entrepreneur may seem like a concern of the big business but smart branding is a crucial strategy for the small business too. As a small business person I have become fascinated with the concept of branding on the small business, non-profit and personal level. I hope this series is bringing a little more meaning to the concept of branding. Anyone can take advantage of the principles. It’s not only for the large mega-corporations.

The Duct Tape Marketing blog described small business branding as,

A small business brand is so much more complicated than a tagline, colors or logos, a small business brand is everything the business does and has done, much like a biography…
made up of who the owner is, who the customers are, what the employees say, what the press says, and who you had lunch with today - in your business, everything is brandographical!

Let’s get this out in the open. Most small businesses don’t have the budget to create awareness campaigns or commercials that have been made famous during the Super Bowl, multiple billboards or product placement in movies. Most small businesses work on the local level or in a specific niche with a smaller audience and thus such “awareness campaigns” are not needed at that stage in a companies life.

SpinningSilk Multimedia currently has two employees, my wife and myself and even when we hire more people in the not too distant future we will still be considered “small” by modern business standards(unless something radical happens). How are we “doing small business branding?” Here is a list of some things that have helped us grow our “brand” since we have been in business;

• We have a creative name the opens up the conversation and helps us explain what we do, our vision and mission. SpinningSilk is inspired by spiders spinning strong webs out of a thin material. Of course the World Wide Web concept inspired this and one of the products we want to provide is effective web sites with optimized code, graphics and other elements that not only load quickly in a browser but also capture people’s attention.
• Our branding elements like logos, etc. are consistent across our web sites, print material, how we answer the phone, etc.
• Our mission and personal beliefs are part of how we do business.
• We participate in local networking groups
• Made our brand know in various online social networking services like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and YouTube to name a few.
• Standing firm that our company is “real business entity” and not just a couple of freelancers. We have plans for growth beyond ourselves as business owners.
• Focusing more and more on niches so we are unique and experts in our field
• Constantly adding fresh content to our web site via this blog which has significantly boosted our search rankings and visibility.

Read more about how a small business can build its brand and market itself on a small business budget in a couple of recommended books, Duct Tape Marketing and Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing.

Are you a small business owner? How have you been able to build your brand with the resources you have? What challenges are you facing?

Perhaps the first picture that pops into our mind when we think of a brand is the name of a product, a logo or trademark. In fact the original intent of a brand label, brand name or trademark was to make one’s product stand out from the rest. Wow? Is that what it is? Does it really boil down to one farmer selling his apples right next to another farmer with similar looking apples except with a different sign or label? Well, yes, sometimes even if two products have varying degrees of quality or different part on the inside a name or distinctive imagery may be the only different thing some people see. if you went to the dairy case at the grocery store and some prankster had ripped off all the labels you would not be able to tell one brand from another unless the cartoon itself was also distinctive but let’s just assume the cartoon is the same in this example.

Even if I was daring enough to start taking the lids of the gallons of milk and started sampling I still might have a hard time tell each brand apart. Truthfully I wouldn’t start sampling different gallons. I might notify the store manager as he at least would know where my preferred brand was supposed to be located on the shelf. Obviously a good and memorable name is important. In a previous post I gave an example of what is considered the world’s most popular soft drink, CoCa-Cola and the offense people took when they tried to radically change the brand. Let’s go back to dairy however for a good example of a company that has build it’s brand above the cheaper “store brands.” I live in the southeastern United States and Mayfield Dairy Farms is a very popular brand and has a lot of brand loyality. Mayfield’s featured products are Milk, Yougurt and Ice Cream and their packaging is recognized by the the yellow boxes with brown text and the logo and mascot is a very recognizable cow. In recent years Mayfield has stood strong against the competition by utilizing their name, logo and mascot. In the past few years we have taken our nephew to see the giant Mayfield cow downtown, get a free sample of a new flavor and participate in an “election” where consumers can chose the new flavor. The name Mayfield is evocative of a peaceful farm setting. A place you would definitely want your dairy products to come from. I’ve never been to a Mayfield farm myself but the combination of the name, warm colors in the packaging sets them apart from the store brands.

Why do I give Mayfield as an example of good naming, logos and other distinctive elements? First of all I am very tempted to give a lot of example from the technology industry. I’m very familiar with technology companies but you see enough of that on the Internet and anytime I can give “face-time” to other industries I think that’s a good thing. Secondly Mayfield has not been my favorite brand, especially of Ice Cream. I’ve pretty much been a fan of Breyers Ice Cream but I admit Mayfield is really working on me as a consumer with their marketing efforts in recent years. When I go to the dairy case in my local grocery store I definitely know where the Mayfield products are and what they stand for.

How are you using your company name, logo, slogan and other visual branding elements to engage consumers?

I learned today that one of my favorite podcasts, Photoshop User TV, is going to now be available on a cable television channel! Photoshop User TV which is produced by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and features three hosts, Scott Kelby, Dave Cross and Matt Kloskowski. The majority of each show features wonderful tips on how to maximize the potential of Adobe Photoshop. I learn something new each time I watch the show. They also provide news about new products (this is the kind of commercial I don’t mind at all), upcoming seminars and the show also has a weekly contest. I love participating in the contest because not only to I have a chance to win great prizes but the act of participating in the contest helps me learn something about Photoshop I probably would have never discovered on my own.

I use Photoshop a lot in my product photography, photography for print publications, web design products, etc. It’s a wonderful tool that helps me develop compelling content for my clients and my own work.

Perhaps you may not have access to the cable channel that Photoshop User TV will be on but it will still be available as a free downloadable podcast viewable on your computer or maybe better yet via a device like Apple TV. Have you enjoyed Photoshop User TV? What other podcasts would you like to see recognized by the old media? Wouldn’t it be great if people started producing quality local content and local stations decided to rebroadcast that content? I would love to see local podcasters in the upstate and Greenville, SC area recognized by the older media markets and reach a wider audience. I plan on doing what i can to make this a reality for my clients.

I admit it. I went to the great Wikipedia and found a definition for Brand Management. Needless to say I have not been inspired to write this part of the series on branding. The Wikipedia page on brand management says this;

Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand. It seeks to increase the product’s perceived value to the customer and thereby increase brand franchise and brand equity.

Needless to say that whole definition bothers me on several levels. As much as I know the importance of marketing and in fact it’s an important aspect of our business I realize the whole notion of marketing and marketers can often have a negative connotation. Secondly I’m bothered that product and brand are defined as two separate elements. If you read the last part of this series you know how serious I am about the quality of the product or service and how deep down that should be the brand. Not just a label. Finally the definition points out that it seeks to increase the products perceived value to the customer. I know that bad communication with the public that cloud what the product truly is but I can’t help but think that it’s implying some deception is going on. Sadly, I know this goes on with many so-called, brands. We have all heard the stories about clothes with certain labels getting a higher mark up, the whole prescription drug debacle where “brand names” are sold for a higher price than “generic”. The funny thing with that is the “generic brand” seems to be one of the more popular with consumers who have seen past the labeling.

What’s more important than “brand management” is product management or customer relationship management. I honestly believe that if you manage the product well and respect the customers the branding will take care of itself.

Seth Godin must have been reading my mind when he wrote a recent article(probably in the last day or so) when he said, “Brand Management is so 1999.” Seth goes on the explain what he called, “Tribe Management.” He said, “Instead of looking for customers for your products, you seek out products (and services) for the tribe.” This is something I always try to keep in mind. We are working to provide and create content management systems for our web design customers that are easy to use. We want to create print products like business cards and brochures that will not just be a work of art but will be true to your companies brand and motivate others to action. I want to sell solutions to my customers problems and challenges. Not create new ones for them. What are ways you seek to build and manage your brand?