You could pay a marketing coach or ad agency or brand consultant BIG bucks to create (or recreate) your brand. A word of advice: DON'T!
You need a snappy name. Something sharp, clever, clear, and concise. Something you’d be proud to have your fans and customers display on a t-shirt, coffee mug or bumper sticker. You want to be the go-to resource – no – you want to be the rock star in your profession or industry. And you’re just one strong branding step away – you can almost TASTE it!!!
But you’re not smart enough to do it yourself.
Oops, wait a minute… yes you are.
Fact is, a lot of advertising agency types and “branding gurus” are simply overpriced hacks. Shocking, I know… you’re stunned that coming up with a cool name for your new services, programs, and products could be simple, straightforward, and easy.
Well, sit down with a nice hot cup of your favorite caffeinated beverage and strap in – ‘cuz you’re getting my secret stash of branding whoop-ass.
Take your topic or product or service (Leadership or Cookies or HVAC or Recruiting or Plastics) and add one or more of these brand building blocks. Some stand alone – some work in combination with others. Sometimes you’ll want to put the building block BEFORE your service/product and sometimes it will sound better AFTER. Play with these – they’re my gift to you.
Instant Branding Toolkit
Market
Exchange
Zip
Zap
Focus
Momentum
Fun
Power
Professional
Savvy
Smarts
Sense
Action
Pyramid
Dive
Redline
RPM
GPS
Roundtable
Summit
Slide
Swing
Sandbox
Playground
Monkey
Chimp
Rhino
Hippo
Gazelle
Tiger
Lion
Shark
Dolphin
Insights
Forum
Café
Center
Storm
Success
Life
Mojo
Club
Hub
Lounge
Launchpad
Library
Archive
Free ____ tips
Free ____ tools
Tips
Tools
Toolbox
Toolkit
Club
Network
Posse
Bakery
Mashup
Focus
Resource
Queen
King
Flyer
Circle
Gameplan
Blueprint
Treasure chest
Strategies
Tactics
Secrets
Profits
Revealed
Disco
Party
Pantry
Bakeshop
Factory
Foundry
Vortex
Nexus
Universe
Galaxy
World
Planet
Star
Done right
Made easy
Cocktail
Bar
Game
Advise
Monitor
Puppy
Daddy
Mama
Baby
Zoom
Boom
Direct
Show
Thunder
Undercover
After hours
After dark
Agent
Sauce
Juice
Jazz
Page
Letter
Book
Cruise
Action
Roadmap
Max
Navigator
Gps
Master
Accelerator
Advisor
Lightning
Bullseye
Profits
Revenues
Hang out
Shout
Scream
Bam
Mall
Feast
Meal
Lunch
Zone
Poop
Scoop
Machine
Force
Onramp
Route
Highway
Express
Check
Box
Square
Speed
Accelerate
Compass
University
U
College
Academy
Institute
First
Prime
One
I'm looking forward to buying from the following businesses in the very near future... maybe one of these will be yours:
- The Cookie Machine
- The Video Advisor
- CareerNavigator
- SalesGPS
- Coffee Hangout
- Guitars After Dark
- The Fitness Foundry
And if you end up using something you create with this list as your new brand, do me a favor – please make a generous donation to your favorite charity. Even a tiny fraction of what you would have paid the “ad agency” will make a BIG difference to the non-profit of your choice. If you don’t have any particular good cause in mind, here are three I recommend:
http://www.acumenfund.org
http://www.roomtoread.org
http://nsafoundation.org
Rock on, you do-it-yourself brander, you!!
Do you like this list? Want to Tweet it? Quote it? Add to it? Use the comments area below and let's hear what's in YOUR can of branding whoop-ass!!
Branding is everything - and I mean everything.
-- Scott Bedbury
Branding is overrated.
-- Regis McKenna
I'm going to go with Regis McKenna on this one.
There is so much hot air being blown around about brands
and branding, by everyone from Tom Peters ("Brand You!") to
hundreds of smalltime business coaches who have glommed
onto branding as a buzzword - and refuse to let go!
Small business branding is often code for a lot of BS from marketing consultants and ad agencies who are more interested in what's in your wallet than what will grow your small business and make the phone ring!
I'm going to define brand very clearly and plainly...
A brand is a promise of an experience. Period.
You walk into a McDonald's for lunch versus a Ritz-Carlton Hotel because that's the kind of lunch you want that day. You would probably be confused and more than a little upset if you found waiters and linen tablecloths in that McDonald's or if your bill came to $110.
So in order to punch through a lot of the mystique around building a brand - especially for small business owners - let's call it a promise.
- Who can make a promise? Anyone.
- How much does it cost to make a promise? Usually nothing.
- Can you make a promise to someone across the hall? Sure.
- Across the country? You bet.
- Can you make promises to people in just your local area? Of course.
- Do you need to be crystal clear on what that promise means, before you try to communicate it to others? Yes, that would be smart.
- If asked, could your top level executives say what your promise is or means? Would the answers be consistent?
- Hmmmm...
Brand is communication. Brand is consistency. Brand is integrity. Brand is simply recognition for a job well done.
Boiling all these timeless business ideas into a 5-letter word doesn't change them.