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Sales Promotion - Part II      In our last newsletter we discussed the issues surrounding the importance of branding in our article "Sales Promotion - Part 1". Branding is a topic of much discussion, but what does it really mean? To start, one must ask yourself, what does our organization stand for? What makes it different? What makes us special? What is it about us that keeps bringing our customers back? What do we do better? What value do we add? Is it customer centric focused? It is a bottom line focus for the client? Is it the value you add; the 'go the extra mile' philosophy? Is it the quality and workmanship of your products and services? Lot of questions. Lots to think about. It will take time to sort out what you want your organization to be; reconciled to what it could be; balanced with what is realistic.      Once a 'vision' is clear then it is time to move to consideration of the brand. And by brand we mean a process that affects everything. The way everyone in the organization treats and interacts with stakeholders both inside and outside of the organization. The way the telephone is handled. The way e-mail is handled. The way business cards are designed. The way letterhead is designed. The way the web page is designed. The way finished product or services are packaged and communicated.      Then we move to the next challenging aspect of branding; namely consistency. It is simply not good enough to roll out your brand. There must be a built in evaluation and quality assurance process that keeps re-enforcing that the standards set for the brand are maintained on a consistent basis. Policing the brand is a major priority. Re-introducing the brand to newcomers to the organization is a major consideration. The work is an on-going process where the priority must be to strengthen and improve the brand rather than to let standards slide into oblivion.      Communicating an organization's brand is a process where every opportunity must be seized and exploited. Yellow and white page telephone ads. The script automatically inserted at the end of every outgoing e-mail. The continuity of the web page to your brochures. The way your cheques look that are being sent to suppliers. The quality of the paper used when you send out a letter. The conversational style used by staff on the phone during office hours. Are they plugging the company's services at least once during every telephone conversation? Are they sending a web page reference on every invoice being sent out? Is the company hosting an annual open house to vendors and clients on a regular basis? Never forget that this is the way that brands are created and the way that they flourish. << PreviousNext >>

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