In my latest Black Success audio, I share tips I learned from millionaire business expert Richelle Shaw on how to grow your customer base.
Click here to listen to this short audio.
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What question would you like to ask about business success, growing your business, any aspect of business success? What one burning issue is on your mind? Click here to post your question on the Success Strategies FB page.
Here's to your success!
“Who are you not to be great?
You, with the imagination of a brilliant child and gifts and talents granted by God,
Who are you to be ordinary?
You, who holds the seeds of greatness in your hand,
Who are you to be afraid?
You, who can do ALL things through Christ that
strengthens you while impacting infinite lives,
Who are you to be a slave to the past?
You, who can rewrite history with a single thought, and speak life to new opportunities with one word,
Who are you to be anonymous?
You, who’s name like Albert Einstein, Dr. Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs & Maya Angelou inspires others to step out of the shadows into their greatness,
And who are you to deny greatness?
If you would deny it to yourself, you would deny it to the entire world. And we will not be denied. ”
~Adapted by Kenya Halliburton from the monologue of the new
Sony PlayStation Commercial just for you! :)
So, Whats the answer?
And as a champion of your success, I’d be honored if you let me know what you thought about this article. Your tips, advice and comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!
Building a brand is all about consistency. Your customers expect to have the same (or darn close to the same) experience whenever they come in contact with your brand. After all, consistency leads to reliability and trust.
Since I've been doing a lot with visual maps these days, I've really gotten into studying how visual schemes impact your brand. Here are a few tips that might help you.
Think about this - what if you bought one of those red cola cans at a convenience store only to find when you drank it, something orange came out of the can. That's pretty crazy, right? You'd probably storm back into the store and confront the cashier at the counter with your red can. The experience would make you second guess ever buying another from that store, or possibly, ever again.
In fact, that actually happened...sorta. Remember when they came out with clear cola? It crashed and burned badly...why? Because we expect cola to be dark brown. And when a very popular condiment maker came out with green ketchup, it ended up making appearances as a collectible on eBay, not on kitchen tables.
Something very similar happens with brands online. Certain colors and design schemes are associated with certain products. If the product has the wrong color or design, it's off-putting to potential customers.
An important part of creating a consistent brand image is to choose a visual scheme that will always be associated with your name or your company’s name.
To create a design and color scheme for your brand, you need to create a visual brand language, or VBL.
So what's that? A VBL incorporates design elements such as shape, color, materials, finish, typography and composition. All of these items together should work smoothly to communicate your company's values and personality.
For a good example, take BMW's front grill. When you see it on an advertisement or website, you automatically think of BMW and all the qualities associated with this luxury car designer. This distinct design feature is used as a visual marketing tool by the company to trigger feelings and associations in the minds of its target market.
An important key to creating a VBL is to remember that it isn't static, but something can be changed and used in different ways.
Think about Google's logo - basic letters on a clean white background. During different times of year or during promotions, incremental changes are made to this basic design theme. Your VBL can be something flexible as well.
Your own images need to create a brand personality that fits with your niche. Think about your target market and what they like. Consider your products and look at how other companies in your expert niche create their brand personality.
For example, some niches tend to showcase stark, hard line visuals, while others use soft, curvy lines. Each image a company uses fits with its personality to create a sense of consistency across all of its marketing and content creation.
The single most important visual element is your logo. Recently, I went to my friends over at Logo Nerds to come up with a new design for me. I knew the one I had was not fitting well with my niche and I wanted it to make a stronger connection with my brand.
To create a logo, you need to go back to your brand's unique selling proposition. What is your brand's promise and personality? These should be communicated through your brand's logo. Your logo should be based on this foundation and it should harmonize well with your other design elements.
The best practice when designing a logo is to start by choosing a primary and secondary color. The primary color is for your symbol, icon, or lettering. The secondary color is for the background. Take advantage of color meanings and associations when choosing colors.
A common business mistake is to bring in outside visual experts as an afterthought rather than a central part of your business's initial planning. Remember when I mentioned redesigning my logo? I have seen people make the mistake of trying to design their own, but that sometimes doesn't send a clear message about who you are and your professionalism.
Here's another resource for you. Pam Wilson has an amazing blog that teaches a lot about visual branding. Be sure to check out her Big Brand System here for great tips.
Remember - your brand's visual plan is just as important as your unique selling proposition or your products: it's part of your company's basic image and it can help you communicate clearly about who you are and what you do for your target market.
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You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it...
About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative online business strategist and coach specializing in showing independent service providers how to simplify, save time & stand out with simple strategies that engage more quality leads and clients. Her company Be Promotable provides fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote business owners as power players in their market. Get free tools to simplify and stand out online at: www.tanyasmithonline.com
Http://GoodCreditUnion.com 1-800-652-7157 In this video, I explain the new departments the that Good Credit Union have opened up to it's clients.
Good Credit Union has added a Tax elimination dept. with a CPA and IRS Registered agents. As many of us understand that a CPA is the blood line of the business. Understanding having access to a CPA is one of the best resources a growing company needs to be profitable.
Our CPA works right along side of our IRS Registered Tax Agents to make sure your company financial documents and taxes are looking good to financial institutions.
GCU Group also offers employment verification for people that work off of 1099 and need regular pay stubs created. This is great for someone that trying to purchase a vehicle or get into an apartment.
Check out our other services
http://BusinessCreditAmerica.com 1-800-652-7157
http://GoodCreditUnion.com 1-800-652-7157 In this video Houston with th GCU Group, Inc. explain why many people should fix their credit instead of getting a CPN or SCN.
1st you no longer have to find a co-signer to help you get an apartment, car, or student loan. I understand this is embarrassing for many adults with bad credit.
2nd If you have good credit you could add a child or family on you credit cards as authorize users and they could inherit your credit. This is one of the best gifts you can give someone if you're not rich or wealthy. Your 18 year old could inherit your credit and you will not have to co-sign for them an apartment, car loan, or student loan.
3rd You could buy real estate in which you could not do with a CPN or SCN. Many people want to get into real estate investing but they must understand that having good credit will make it easier to purchase that property.
4th When you fix your credit you don't have to show as much paperwork to get funding. With a CPN or SCN creditors want to see the id or drivers license to go along with the file. Creditors are asking for social security cards for that SCN or CPN, they are also asking for employment verification. This is alot of personal information they are requiring now for an SCN or CPN.
5TH It's much more easier to get funding when you have good credit to do you investments, succh as buying a car from the auction instead of having to finance it from a car dealer.
This is Houston with Good Credit Union. You can call me at !-800-652-7157 or email me Houston@goodcreditunion.com or Alex @goodcreditunion.com
Content marketing is not just about saying something. It’s about saying what matters, both to you and those you want to serve. One goal that serves, both ends is “Thought Leadership“.
Thought Leadership, an admirable and attractive content marketing goal to set.
I mean, it sounds good, right? And you’re brilliant enough, no question.
But, thought leadership takes a certain commitment. A commitment to consistently say something important, sometimes controversial and the courage to be heard.
And to be honest, it carries a certain weight and power that frankly is scary and intimidating to a lot of business owners.
There’s a lot of talk about “King Content” these days and how you need a lot of it to attract and retain clients. However, it’s not until we can get over our fear of creating content for our online business in the first place, that we can achieve our goal to lead in thought.
@MarlaTabaka asks readers to examine this question in her Thought Leadership 2.0 article publishes on Inc.com.
“A thought-leader is someone who is willing to step into the spotlight and voice their points of view, innovative ideas, and potentially controversial opinions. He drives conversation and peppers the Internet and other outlets with his insights, ideas, and expertise. She inspires others to follow their dreams and teaches them to think big, solve problems, and face their fears.”
This may seem a silly question, but I have three small boys at home and I think in cartoons, so allow me to humor you for a moment.
Now, in my experience, people respond one of two ways when it comes to stepping out in this way:
1. Scrappy Doo: Let me at em’ – Enthusiastically, Yes, I really want to do this, I just don’t have time or know where to start.
2. Scooby Doo: Fearfully & insecurely, I don’t really have anything important to say, who am I?
The first response is pretty easy to resolve. These people are ready to burst through the gate. Give them a little direction and the right tools and they’ll be influencing all over the place. If this is you, stop reading this and contact me right away so we can get you on the map.
But, their are a lot of people who respond out of fear. The irony is, they are leading in thought everyday in a quiet and safe way.
When I have conversations with people about their business, something magical happens. They are passionate, opinionated and unafraid to be heard. Their goal in the moment is to be helpful and informative. They tell stories to help me understand complex ideas and I leave the conversation feeling smarter and grateful for the opportunity to have met them. They “fit the profile”.
It’s content at it’s best. These are the stories the advice and conversations that need to be shared on real and virtual stages.
But all too often, these conversations are never had and the stories never told to the people who need to hear it the most. Your target audience.
Well, no. You can be successful without being a thought leader. But, your journey will be long and hard fought. Because, the truth is, there’s so much noise out there. There are so many people saying the same thing that prospects and customers can’t tell the difference.
So, I guess the question I’d ask you is, do you want to be THE CHOICE or just one of the best? If you answered the choice, then YES…It’s time to step into the spotlight!
Here are three questions to answer if you want to establish yourself as a leading voice and choice in your area of expertise:
