Posts Tagged ‘branding strategy’

If you are a brick and mortar facility, there are 4 big pieces to your branding:

1. The store (what it looks like, how it is organized, the people who staff it, the products available, etc)
2. The website (whether or not you sell online, you must have a kick butt site for people to visit)
3. Social media (everyone and every business can benefit from using some pieces of social media)
4. Customer service (in person, over the phone, via email)

If you are solely an online retailer or a business which doesn’t need a physical location, you still need to consider #1 (people, products and how you are organized). The only difference is #1 & #2 are combined into one thing.

With this in mind, I decided to analyze a store that I found through Cracked.com’s list of Images you won’t believe aren’t photohopped (it’s #14).

Located in Southampton, UK, this is the actual store front for The Guitar Store. Surrounded by the traditional lift up store gates with simple signs declaring the store name, this store captures audiences attention – even if they aren’t in the market for music. Because of their unique store, I figured they would be a perfect company to look at their branding strategy, and how you can do it for your own business.

Following the above branding guidelines, we will start with #1: The store. First impression, obviously they are doing something right as they have immediately differentiated themselves from any other store on that road (and probably any other store in the UK). Secondly, they got themselves noticed by Cracked.com, which spread their name worldwide. Finally, (after visiting their site) I was able to see some photos of the interior…they have definitely created a beautiful musical haven. Unfortunately without a trip to the UK (hmm…wonder who I could bribe to get me there? lol) I can’t speak for their staff, but with the pictures and the obvious involvement of the owners, it seems they are probably doing okay.

Onto the second step, the website. When I visited the site, I was definitely surprised, as most companies I have seen fall short of “continuity with branding”. Their site not only matched the store front, but improved upon it (click on the image to visit the site, and mouse over their nav buttons…)!  The copy is to the point, honestly written and shows the dedication to true music. I found it easy to use, fun to navigate and it to be well done overall. What I didn’t see was any social buttons, or a quick way to reach them via email (without a form). Which leads us to the next step was to check out their social media strategy…

As I mentioned above, there are no social buttons or blog links. After some searching, I discovered that they do have both a Facebook page (2 weeks old) and a twitter account (with only 1 tweet). There is no blog. I will give them small credit for setting up facebook and twitter – and for the small amount of activity on FB. But, these strategies could be expanded tremendously and could bring in some serious attention. As far as the missing blog – I am a little surprised. I would assume that this would have been one of the first marketing tasks they tackled. Creating a blog that covered tips and tricks, featured unique guitars and even short video lessons would not only gain a lot of attention but would be helpful for the music community as a whole. I think that if they were to simply add a strong social media presence, they would immediately notice a difference.

Finally we reach the discussion of #4, their customer service. Again, not being able to visit the UK it is tough to decipher if they are doing this properly. They do have their number listed prominently, and their location easy to find (two pieces that lead to a great start). What they do need to add is easier access to their contact form and/or email addresses. Also, twitter is a huge customer service tool, being able to answer questions and connect with musicians both in the UK and throughout the world. I think without improving access to their email and their conversations through social media, they are definitely falling short in customer service.

Now, onto your task: When is the last time you looked at the 4 pieces of branding for your business? Do they all work together or are you missing important pieces? Feel free to respond with your thoughts on your own company in the comments – or ask other questions!

Let’s get talking!

Over the next 25 posts, ending on my birthday, I will be covering an incredibly creative moment or idea from a year of my life AND one creative moment in either the marketing, advertising, technology or media world.

1985 was an active year for me, and one of many firsts. Of course, being rather type A from the moment I was born, I wanted to do everything early. This meant I started talking (and apparently never stopped) at 8 months, and was walking by 10 months. According to my parents, neither of these were a surprise, and the fact that once I started walking and talking they could barely contain me? Well, no surprise either.

In the world of marketing – 1985 marked the year that Coca-Cola released New Coke and almost ruined their entire brand in one fell swoop. Luckily, they realized their mistake in just 79 days and were able to maintain some form of dignity after pulling new coke from the shelves.

1985… the year I learned to walk & talk, and Coca-Cola learned how to listen.

I have (and always will be) a car girl, but after seeing some of the recent advertisements, I am less and less impressed.

Just 3 years ago, Ford had me drooling with their new Mustang, and their stellar commercial. It gave me chills!

This year, I was a LOT less impressed:

The Mustang is about classic, raw power. It’s about the connection you feel when you get in, turn it on and press the gas pedal. It’s about the emotion. Not running from the cops.

Not many of the other car companies are doing better. They seem to have forgotten either who they are marketing to, or how to be interesting. Either way, I am not impressed by the ads (or how much they are paying their ad teams to come up with them!).

About the only car company I have seen doing it right recently is Scion with their ‘individuality’ commercials. They have found a message that spoke to the buyers.

3 years ago..their ads were great:

The ads running today? They are still carrying the same message! And are still just as entertaining/creative.

What do you think? If you had control of the automotive advertisement industry, what would you do with it?