How Do You Bring Your Brand, Marketing and Sales Process Together?

I have been asked recently from an investment bank putting together my executive summary for investors what is my brand?

They never like my answer. There are rare brands out there, when you first encounter them, where you see the symbol and the tag line and get the value right away, but that is more of a rare occasion than the norm. McDonalds almost failed!

I went to them to raise money for me, so I’m not all that upset we keep disagreeing. The only annoying thing is they are the cobler’s kids who have no shoes. There Branding and Marketing is terrible. But, they have raised over $600 Million for businesses like mine. Nobody would no it though unless you stumbled across them like I did!

I also was training a $5 Million company recently and I was explaining to them different techniques on how build out their new sales territories. When their marketing person said we have to make sure we stay consistent with our brand message. They are only a $5 Million firm they don’t have a message.

Otherwise a great brand is built over time with consistent messaging, value and service.

There is a difference of what we’re taught in school about branding and marketing versus what gets the job done in the real world for most businesses and salespeople.

Over the years we have worked with companies to take their brand, whatever it is, and build systems around implementing measurable processes around Direct Response Marketing and Content Marketing. We integrate these marketing strategies around measurable sales activities to produce results.

But the disconnect lies in understanding the difference between…

Branding

Direct Response Marketing

Content Marketing

Here is the difference between the 3…

Branding

The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products

Direct Response Marketing

Direct response marketing is a type of marketing that elicits a specific, measured response resulting from a consumer’s direct response to a marketer. Direct response marketing facilitates the delivery of a call to action and outcome via direct or online interaction for immediate feedback and response.

Content Marketing

a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online and offline material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.

How do you implement them?

Branding I believe this is important, but I believe it’s the least important. Certainly, over time the symbol and image that represents your brand becomes important. The words associated with your brand as your tag line also becomes important as it tells the story of your brand over time. But without Direct Response Marketing and Content Marketing nobody will no that your brand exists.

What I’m saying doesn’t mean that your symbol, tag lines and the colors aren’t important, but they only become important if people know you exist.

Direct Response Marketing is important because you want your phone to ring. You want someone to take actions no matter how big or small. Certainly, you want large actions, because you want to make money. But, getting someone to spend some time or money in exchange for value from you will lead to sales and larger sales in the future.

Sometimes we overlook getting some to take a small action or spend a small amount of money with us. We all want to hit home runs, but even the best hitters hit singles and doubles with not as frequent home run.

Content Marketing gives you the opportunity to stay in contact with your clients and prospects without always being salesy. This helps educate your clients along the way to them making a decision.

I do an exercise where I ask someone detailed questions about their car buying experience. The car buying experience from thought to purchase takes around 9 months for the average person.

9 MONTHS!

The get the idea, “Hey I want / need a car.”

Then the research process begins.

On line

Conversations

Debates

Visiting Show Rooms

Then they buy

In most of my conversations with sales people, sales managers marketing and advertising professionals is that they are using or understand 1 maybe 2 of these concepts.

What is a great Brand?

A great brand is one that is built over time through delivering great value. Nobody will ever understand the value your brand produces unless they buy. People don’t buy unless they are educated and trust the value before they buy.

How do you do that?

Direct Response and Content Marketing.

Building a great Brand is about building great trust through Direct Response, Content Marketing, delivering a great product that provides value and great service.

That my friend is how branding, marketing and the sales process come together.