Marketing Comet - Small Business Marketing Secrets

What Should I name My Business?

What's in a name? Maybe a lot if it is what you're going to call your business. From the array of business names I see around me, it seems that many miss the mark. Business naming is an extremely important part of branding.

Remember - branding is a part of marketing and marketing has only one job - to make profits. If your business name doesn't help you be more profitable, then it stinks.

Let me see if I can help...

I have been through the naming process with several companies, and I can tell you that it can be difficult. This is especially so if there's any kind of committee involved. A committee, by the way, is and 2 or more people or yourself if you've got multiple personalities.

You can go out and hire a naming company for a couple of hundred thousand dollars. They will have a team of semantic and language experts scour resources for your new name, make sure it's not trademarked, and that you can get the domain name. Or you can just do it your self.

For small businesses I am particularly fond of business names that describe what the business does in some way. In Massachusetts we have Kelly's Roast Beef, Mike's Roast Beef, and the now defunct Buzzy's Roast beef and Daddy's Roast Beef. Guess what each of these businesses sells. If you wanted a roast beef sandwich would you know where to go?

Tech companies are the worst because they usually wind up with a name that sounds like a disease - Meagatechnoplex, Nanoshperion, Scipilogix. Or they string together a bunch of technical words that are nonsense - Industrial Logistics, Technology Partners, Logic Stream.

Sure there are some technology companies with crazy names that are doing OK. Everybody has a crazy aunt that smoked 3 packs a day and lived to 105. That doesn't mean smoking, or picking a lousy name, are good ideas.

From a branding perspective, here are some things to keep in mind when naming.

• Short, sweet, and memorable. If people can remember your company name they can seek you out. I bet you can remember Daddy's Roast Beef in 20 minutes, but probably not Pleximeditechnoform.
• Yes, you do want to own a domain name that is spelled exactly like your business name. I don't do a Google look-up to find the domain name for Sears, I just type Sears.com. If I get a porno site when I get there I don't go back.
• Think trademark. At least do a search on the USPTO web site to ensure you aren't infringing on someone's rights. You also want to do a search at your state level. Seek the advice of an attorney if you have questions. You may want to think about registering your business name as a trademark - talk to an attorney.
• Your business name should work with your overall brand. If you are an upscale jewelry boutique, picking a name like "Joe's house of Rocks" isn't going to cut it. If you own a diner that specializes in ribs you probably don't want to pick, "Maison Jacques".
• If your name is not descriptive of your business (Boston Car Wash) you are going to have to work to attach the name to what you sell in the minds of consumers.
• Avoid cute for cute sake. Being cute can have it's place, but use it sparingly. Hair salons are notorious for this - the Mane Event, Hair-em, Shear Delight. Pet stores, and kids stores can get away with this sometimes. You don't want your customers to be embarrassed to say your name to their friends.
• Yes you can brand with your  name, just be aware that it can make you the center of attention wanted or unwanted. I know of some businesses that are branded under a name that is a pseudonym.
• Easy to pronounce and spell. If you want referrals, you had better make sure your customers can pronounce your name and write it down. In general you want to spell it like it sounds. Growing up I knew a guy whose last name was spelled Desgrossieleirs, which he pronounced (de GROSS ee ere). Of course in non-Anglo french the pronunciation is slightly different. Imagine trying to write down that name for a friend or pronounce it after seeing it in an ad.
• You are naming your business for your customers. Many business owners pick a name that means something personal to them but nothing to their customers (Virleo - because the owners are a Virgo and a Leo). While it's a nice sentiment it has as much power as a made up name.
• A new trend with upscale clubs, restaurants and hotels is to name them after their street address. In Boston we have XV Beacon (at 15 beacon Street), No. 9 Park, 180 and many others. This is OK, but it's getting old. As more businesses in an area do it, the potential for confusion is great.

These are a few of the things to keep in mind when naming your business. Always remember that it's about the customer. Create the correct impression and make it easy for them to find you.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

Oprah, The Trouble With James Frey, And Small Business Branding

If you aren't living in a cave in Afghanistan you undoubtedly have seen the news about Oprah and the author of A Million Little Pieces, James Frey. Oprah recommended the memoir as part of her book club. Later it came out that much of the book was fabricated. Oprah has recently called James Frey to task face to face on TV.

So what's the big deal?

Oprah is not only a person, but Oprah is a brand. Her brand is worth somewhere in the range of a billion dollars. Anything that carries the name Oprah on it influences millions of people worldwide.

When Oprah's name appears on a magazine,or a book she's lending her name,  worth a billion dollars. If it turns out that something she puts her name on is not up to par - it can tarnish the trust people have in that brand. It can effect people's decision to buy Oprah branded products later.

Truly Oprah's recent on-air confrontation with James Frey might be referred to as "damage control". After Oprah defended Frey on the phone live on the Larry King show, the grits hit the fan. I'm sure the people that advise her knew that she was at risk of losing people who lost faith in her book recommendations.

I personally believe that Oprah's confrontation and direct handling of this will build even more trust with those that already love her. I have written before about confirmation bias. People will look at evidence that confirms their beliefs as being more valid.

Right now  Oprah.com has information about the James Frey controversy front and center. This is a good strategy. Put it out front and deal with it head on - most people trust that.

You brand is about two things. 1. The explicit and implicit promises you make to your customers. 2. The assumptions your customers make about you. If people assume that you are untrustworthy - they are not going to do business with you.

Branding is not just some high-concept fluffery that consultants get to charge millions of dollars for. Branding is very important and, when done well, operates at the very core of people's psychology. It's about creating associations in people's minds that make them want to buy from you.

Last year Procter & Gamble bought Gillette for $57 billion dollars becoming the largest manufacturer of household goods in the world. Did Procter & Gamble buy Gillette because they couldn't figure out how to make razors? No. They did it because the combined companies control over 22 brands that generate over a billion dollars a year, as well as many smaller brands.

P&G now controls Tide, Pampers, Duracell, Gillette razors and lots of stuff people worldwide use every day. Their business is not making stuff. Their business is creating, positioning, and profiting from brands. They are a branding machine like no other on Earth.

As a small business owner, it may seem that Oprah and P&G are so big they have nothing to do with you. However, you can learn valuable branding lessons from both.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

Quirks Can Work In Small Business Marketing

15 years ago while traveling I went into a bookstore and found they had a very large white rabbit hopping about free in the store. No, I do not do drugs, nor was I hallucinating. The big bunny was the store mascot.

I remember the place to this day, and if I ever visit that town again I'll look up the bookstore to see if they still have a rabbit there. Why do I remember this particular bookstore after 15 years, because seeing a  bunny in a bookstore was unusual.

Let me lay down some brain science on you. Have you ever been in a restaurant full of people talking when somebody happened to say your name? Whether or not they were talking about you, or somebody else with your name, you probably tuned right into their conversation. Previously to that their conversation probably was faded into the background noise.

Believe it or not, your unconscious mind was scanning every single one of the millions of stimuli coming into your brain every second. Your conscious mind cannot possibly track everything. In fact, you can only hold about 7-9 pieces of data in your conscious mind at any given time.

So what happened when that person spoke your name? Well, a part of your brain called the reticular activating system triggered your conscious mind and said - here's something important that you need to pay attention to. The reticular activating system is the part of your brain that wakes you up. In caveman days it would make us perk up when a pattern of shapes moving through the woods might be a saber-toothed tiger.

Unusual stimulus trigger the reticular activating system, because our unconscious mind perceives that it unusual stuff may be a threat.

One day I was driving through Boston when I saw a clown smoking a cigarette in front of a four star hotel. Instantly my attention was pulled to this very unusual sight. Fortunately I didn't crash the car.

Unusual stimulus is also more likely to be remembered. Why? Because you are paying attention to it. Most memory problems can be attributed to a lack of focus. If you are thinking of four or five disparate things when you put your keys down, you may have a hard time finding them later.

How does this relate to small business marketing? If you want people to pay attention to you or your marketing, you have to present them with something that's not dull. You have to present a novel stimulus.

Here's a warning: being strange without a purpose can hinder your marketing results. A lot of local businesses I speak to want to do quirky, high-concept ads like big ad agencies do. Unfortunately these ads don't work well for big companies, and less so for small business.

The reason why big companies can continue to do high-concept ads is because they have hundreds of millions of dollars to repeat the ads over and over again. They build brand recognition on a very expensive and difficult path. Many good companies have gone out of business on this path.

Remember the ads for Superglue that had a construction worker dangling from a hard-hat glued to an I-beam. It was quirky and novel, but it also demonstrated the strength of the glue.

Not every business can benefit from going funky. Funeral homes and personal injury attorneys come to mind.

What's unusual about you or your business that will make a meaningful difference and bump the old reticular activating system into gear.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

What Is A Brand, And Why It's Important To Your Small Business Marketing

Think of a popular global brand, let's say McDonald's. What is their brand? Is it the name McDonald's? Is It the golden arches? Is it hamburgers? Nope, it's none of these.

Here's the Marketing Comet Definition of a brand: A brand is the set of promises made to the consumer through all marketing and business activity and the conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings the consumer has about the business. OK, I know that's a little abstract. Don't worry - I will break it down for you.

There are two parts to this definition:

1. A set of promises made by marketing and business activities
2. The conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings the consumer holds about the business

Back to McDonald's - what are the promises made over the past decades by McDonald's marketing activities? let's see - they have a clown mascot, playgrounds, brightly colored signage. Their slogans have included phrases like, "you deserve a break today," and "I'm loving it." If you had to sum up what McDonald's branding was all about you could reasonably say that they are all about the experience of fun and relaxation. They put forth strong messages appealing to families and children. The promise is that McDonald's is an affordable "mini-vacation" for the whole family.

Of course Morgan Spurlock came across with his movie "Supersize Me" exposing the health risks of eating too frequently at McDonald's and the branding has changes. Remember, part 2 of the brand definition - the conscious and unconscious thoughts people associate with the business. When "Supersize Me" came out, McDonald's had a branding crisis. Suddenly the country associated McDonald's with the rising rates of child obesity, diabetes, and other health risks.

McDonald's responded by removing the Supersize option, and offering seemingly healthier choices. They have recently added organic coffee. It will be interesting to watch this brand over the next few years.

Now, if part one of the brand matches with part two, you have what I call "brand congruence". Congruence is important because it means that you have control over the how the world sees your business. The only ways to know if you have congruence are: 1. wait and see if you go out of business, 2. Do research with your customers. I have said many times that one of the most important questions you can ask your customers is, "why did you choose us?"

You don't need to be Michael Jordan, American Idol, or FedEx to have a strong brand. Look at some powerful brands that started very small: Kinko's (now part of FedEx), Ben and Jerry's, Tom's of Maine, Doc Martens. Look at businesses in your area that have achieved stellar growth over many years. You will most likely find a strong, congruent, and consistent brand.

In Boston, we have the restaurant chain Legal Seafoods. They expand every year. Many companies grow really fast and then go out of business. Not this one. Their brand is very strong and year after year they enjoy tremendous success. Their promise is extremely fresh, well prepared seafood, and you know you're going to get it there. They are highly congruent and thus extremely successful.

What promises do you make to customers? Do you always keep them? Do you know what your customers think about you, and why they chose to do business with you?

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

Congruence - A Key To Small Business Marketing Success

It's common sense that we like to do business with people we trust and feel comfortable around. One of the keys to building trust and rapport with people we communicate with is congruence. Congruence means that stuff matches up.

Imagine a man, fists balled up, red in the face. He turns to you, leans close and at the top of his lungs yells, "I am NOT angry!" Do you believe him? Probably not, because his words and behavior are incongruent - they don't match up. In fact you may have witnessed scenes like this in comedic movies. Comedy writers use incongruency and irony to generate laughs.

Let's look at how this applies to your marketing. Imagine that you go out to eat at a fine restaurant. the lighting is dim; the linen tablecloths are starched and pressed; the wait staff wears tuxedos. You go to the restroom and it's a filthy sight that rivals the neighborhood gas station. How do you feel about your meal now? Probably at least a little uncomfortable.

Congruency in your marketing and branding means that the insides match the outsides. If you brand your business as warm and friendly, you had better pay attention to how your employees answer the phone. If you sell BMWs, you had better not show up to work driving a Ford. You must intentionally communicate your brand, or you will make people uncomfortable and they will stop doing business with you.

Here's a Marketing Comet Principle: Everything you do, or do not do, is communication. You can never stop communicating. If you stop answering your phone, lock the doors, and shut the lights off - you are sending your customers a message. You had better be sure it's the message you intend.

We know this at least unconsciously. We tend to pick the clothes we wear not just because they fit and are comfortable, but because we want to present a certain look. We want to look good, or look casual, or look professional. Why? Because we know our appearance communicates for us. People judge us, unfairly or not, based on our appearance.

Intentional marketing communication starts with developing a clear brand. It's a little too complicated to go into it in this post. Branding help is available from a short, blue-eyed, and very handsome marketing coach with whom you might be familiar. Seriously, branding is extremely important for every business.

After you have a clear brand you need to look at you internal and external marketing. Internal marketing is everything that's going on inside your business from how you answer your phone, to what you and your employees wear. External marketing is all of your marketing communications - email, advertising, web site, brochures. The better the internals line up with the externals - the more congruency you communicate. The more congruency you communicate, the more comfortable people are doing business with you.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

Making Yourself Part of Your Brand in Small Business Marketing

Over the weekend i saw a great biography on Frank Perdue - you know the chicken guy. If you are one of 98% of the people in the United States - you know who this guy is. And what he did was truly astounding - he turned a commodity into a brand and built in into one of the most successful businesses in the world. And yes - brand recognition studies in the US for chicken say that 98% of people when asked to name a brand of chicken say Perdue.

Frank's father started out in the egg business, but Frank had bigger aspirations. He revolutionized the poultry industry, even blending his own unique feed. He did his research - he spent months talking to butchers in New York to find out what they were looking for in a chicken. But what really pushed the brand over the top were the commercials where he was the star.

This was the brainchild of an ad firm in New York - whose name escapes me. Everyone remembers the 100+ commercials staring the meek but honest Frank Perdue. The guy's obsession with quality came through in every spot - and boy did it work. Frank passed away, but his son has since taken up the torch with a similar set of commercials.

Why does this type of branding work. To simplify - it makes people comfortable and confident. We like to buy from people we know and trust. If given the chance - we don't want to do business with faceless corporations.

Dave Thomas of Wendy's is another very likable guy who left an incredible legacy, and who the world mourned when he passed away. Look at Ben and Jerry the ice-cream guys. George Zimmer of Men's Wearhouse is another person who puts himself in his commercials and puts his values up front. Who says nice guys finish last?

What worked for Dave and Frank is their genuineness. They weren't actors playing a role - they came on as themselves and openly expressed values they actually believed in. Contrast this with the slew of personal injury attorneys and car salesmen that put themselves in commercials that come off as less than trustworthy. While this advertising works on some level, it will never build the powerful brand of companies that people trust.

"You've only mentioned these huge corporations, how does this relate to small business marketing J D?" Keep your pants on, I'm about to get to that.

As a small business owner, you are in a unique position to create a brand that is yours. There's a great restaurant in Boston called Dolce Vita. Franco, the owner, greets everyone as they come in the door - shaking men's hands and kissing women on the cheek. About halfway through the meal Franco roams around through the restaurant singing love songs accompanied by an accordion player. There is not a face in the house without a smile. Yes, the food and wine is fantastic - but the ambiance and the feeling of welcoming hospitality leaves an indelible impression.

Being a part of your brand doesn't mean that you need to advertise on TV or radio. A local grocery store here puts out a couple of special items in the produce section with a picture of the produce manager. The sign  reads - I have tried this today and I know you will love it. The impression is that the produce manager is interested enough in his own quality to try different items every morning.

Here are a few steps to help you think about your brand:

1. What are your values? You should get very clear about your values. If you don't know how to do this, find a coach who can help you - the money and time investment will be well worth it. It's not enough to spout a bunch of values that you think sound good - your brand must be genuine. One of my values is value. The principle behind the value is that I always strive to give my clients a value worth many times more than what they are paying me. I love to blow people's minds with stuff to build their business and have them come back and tell me that they aren't paying me enough.
2. Describe the principles behind your values. I just described one of mine above. The principle is the working mechanics, and the clarification behind the value. What does the value mean to you. If you say you value family - how does that manifest?
3. Get a grip on your identity. Just be your yourself, unless you're a jerk of course. Describe yourself in a few sentences and then ask some family and loved ones to do the same. Look for discrepancies. I have an impish sense of humor, and one of my friends described me as a "short blue-eyed devil." That cracked me up - and I adopted it. Your identity doesn't have to be about physical characteristics - your personality is more important. Are you down to earth, high-energy, gregarious, loving, humble, smart, simple, whatever?
4. Infuse your values and personality into your business in truly genuine ways. The key word is genuine. Obviously you need to be appropriate as well. One of the funniest guys I ever knew was a funeral director. Obviously he wouldn't be in business if he was cracking jokes during funerals. But his ability to create rapport with people and help them with difficult emotions was very useful and appreciated.

One of my values is relationships. I strive to be a connector - creating useful relationships among people I know while building the depth and quality of my network. If you read my blog, or my articles regularly - you see that I always talk about the relationship with the client. I am not about transaction - based marketing. This is my value and I infuse it into everything I do.

I am not saying that my values are better than anyone else's, and neither should you. My set of values are unique to me, so everyone else's will be different. That's OK. Sometimes I just want to run into Walmart and get a screwdriver and a $1 bag of popcorn. Other times I want to go to a mom and pop store where a knowledgeable employee will walk me through a purchase.

Whatever your values are, if you infuse them into your business, they will resonate with some customers and not others. This is great. You can't have every customer in the world, but you can have a good-sized group of very loyal customers who will bring you more and more business to make you grow.

Build your brand and it will serve you well.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

What is Branding?

Branding is a popular buzzword in marketing circles these days. it's a very important concept for even small businesses to understand. So what exactly is branding and what is your brand?

Here's my definition of branding:  A brand is a commercial image - particularly what customers and potential customers think and feel about that product, service and image. Branding includes components that you control that shape how your customers see you. The colors in your logo, the text you choose for your advertising, even the way you answer the phone are parts of your brand.

Think about McDonalds, one of the most recognized brands in the world. What is their image? Are they just a hamburger joint? They have a clown, playgrounds, happy meals. Clearly part of their brand is that they are a fun family destination. What does this have to do with hamburgers? Nothing, but by associating fun, relaxation, and a family atmosphere McDonald's has become the leading fast food restaurant in the world.

Imagine walking into a brand new Mercedes dealership to buy a shiny new car. The waiting area, cars and sales floor are spotless. Even the mechanics wear white lab coats. Now how would you feel if you walked into a restroom and it looked like a tornado hit a truckstop? Would that change your opinion of the brand? It would definitely change mine.

If you saw a fine French brasserie advertising half price wings and beer - would that make you uncomfortable with the brand?

Consistent brand messages are successful. Dick's Last Resort chain of seafood restaurants are intentionally designed to look like a dockside dive. Their waiters are comedically surly, the menus and advertising all reinforce the Popeye-like image of Dick as a surly-burly curmudgeon. Does it work? Sure.

This doesn't mean that lousy service can be your brand - there's enough of that to go around.

Talk to your customers - ask them what they think when they think of you. Talk to non - customers.

If you have a strong brand already - capitalize on it and bring all your advertising in line with it. Be consistent. If you have a weak or inconsistent brand - time for an overhaul.

Your wallet will thank you.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet