A No-Fluff Guide To Branding Posted by John Assalian on April 8, 2021 If you’ve sat through a branding meeting recently, you’ve probably seen it: the slide deck filled with fuzzy, all-caps words like “authentic” and “caring,” fancy slides labeling your company as the “feisty underdog challenger” and all sorts of other fluff. (“Fluff” is the polite term for this type of thing; I can think of another word.) This isn’t branding. Or, at least, it’s not what branding should be. At its heart, a brand isn’t about a series of pretty words, but rather owning a favorable position in the customer’s consciousness. Do that and you’ve won the branding game. Here’s how: 1. Start With The Customer And Competitive Landscape Customers typically want to know what they can get from you, and why they should get it from your company instead of from someone else. Cut through the color schemes and fonts and lists of core values and ask yourself the following: What are people looking for from your company? And what are you already delivering? The answers to these questions are far more important than any buzzword or cliché. Think for a moment about the world’s best-known brands and you’ll see just how clear the customer value proposition is in your mind. For instance, I can’t list Apple’s core values off the top of my head, but I can tell you the company is known for creating beautiful, user-friendly devices. I can’t tell you anything about Nintendo’s latest branding deck, but I can tell you that it’s one of the world’s leading companies for family-friendly gaming. That’s what effective branding looks like. Remember that brands exist in a larger ecosystem. This is the real reason that design decisions like color schemes are so important — they set your company apart from the competition. I’ve seen branding decks that include a competitive landscape matrix where nearly every box next to the company’s name is checked off. This is a major red flag. If a branding agency is trying to convince you that your company can be all things to all people, it’s time to go elsewhere for your advice. 2. Prioritize Substance Over Style Many people think of branding largely in terms of logos, websites and other design elements. But you can have a sleek, modern design and customers still might not have any idea what your company does or why they should care. That’s why it’s important to start with strategy and then let that drive your design decisions. Another common mistake: People get bogged down with lengthy conversations about things like purpose, promise, tone and core values. Yes, these are important, but the leader of a company should be able to articulate these four things fairly quickly. This should be the easy part. The branding team should spend the bulk of its time and effort on more tangible things like competitive landscape, brand architecture, customer value proposition, customer pain points and go-to-market messaging. Even more importantly, these branding decisions must be backed up by action. Look at a company like Southwest Airlines. The brand is anchored by the idea that it takes care of its customers, but this lofty ideal doesn’t live solely in a branding deck. Instead, the airline takes concrete steps, such as allowing customers to change their flights without paying a fee. Any other airline can claim to be caring, but when customers get charged an extra $100 to switch to an earlier flight, they’ll instantly see through the branding nonsense. 3. Embrace Simplicity Beware of branding bloat. A client recently asked us to do specialized branding for their human resources department, but we turned down the project. “You already have a brand,” we told them. “Use the strength of that brand to recruit new employees.” Also, it’s usually a mistake to include a very large group of stakeholders in brand meetings. It’s great that branding is no longer just a marketing function, but conversations can quickly become muddled when branding teams are trying to please people from sales, human resources, corporate social responsibility and other departments. Make branding a strategic function that starts at the top. Finally, be incredibly skeptical when an agency rolls out an overly complicated branding methodology. Branding may not be “easy,” but when it’s done right, it tends to be fairly simple and straightforward. If a branding agency’s approach seems complex or tedious, cast a wary eye. And if they ask you to define 25 different terms before you even get started, run away. By taking a pragmatic, business-focused approach to branding, you can connect with your customers, set yourself apart from competitors and cut out the fluff — or whatever you want to call it. Read the full trends article here.
Five Flywheels For Go-To-Market Success Posted by John Assalian on February 10, 2021 Go-to-market is your overall marketing program to win in the marketplace. A successful strategy needs to communicate to audiences your unique value proposition, get prospects into your sales cycle, and then continuously earn revenue from them over the longest possible period of time. As Peter Drucker, the founder of modern business management, emphatically wrote, “…the business enterprise has two—and only two—basic functions: marketing and innovation.” This article covers the first function: marketing. How do you effectively promote not just awareness but trust between customers and your business? Think of the flywheel model, coined by author Jim Collins. Business leaders understand that putting in the work upfront — always with the customer at the center of your operation — is key to later success. Once you push the flywheel far enough to build up momentum, eventually it will continue to turn independently, allowing you to enjoy the well-earned spoils of your success. Take the time to build that strong bond with your customer base, and it will pay off in your dividends down the road. Here are five key flywheels to keep your go-to-market strategy ahead of the curve: 1. Define your brand and go-to-market value propositions. Your brand is more than your visual identity; it is the communication architecture through which your business is understood. Start with the big “why” at the top of your brand and support it with your value propositions from product all the way through to customer success. Ask yourself: What specific need am I filling? What products am I offering to fill that need? How will those products improve our customers’ lives? Answering these questions defines your go-to-market value propositions — the reason why a customer should choose you over the competitor down the street. Those value propositions become the raw materials you can draw from to forge your unique brand. Make sure to keep your brand simple and congruous. Focus on what makes you stand out in the marketplace, and ensure those unique value propositions are front and center. Remember the flywheel. The first push is always the hardest, but it is worth putting in the effort in these early stages. 2. Create content that tells your brand’s story. Remember, the sales cycle is no longer a funnel; it is an hourglass. What does this mean? You need to continuously tell your marketing story from brand to purchase, all the way through to customer engagement and renewal/upsell. Marketing should do far more than engage a customer’s wallet. A strong marketing story should engage a customer’s heart. You are trying to inspire loyalty and become a topic around the dinner table — the next “great thing” someone shares with their friend or co-worker — not just sell a product. So, how can you most effectively tell that story? As the founder of two award-winning digital marketing agencies, I have spent my career unpacking that question, and the answer is constantly evolving. Today, maybe that content is an eye-catching website and dynamic social videos. Tomorrow? That’s the art and science of marketing. The most important thing is to always let customer need drive your content marketing strategy, continuously pushing the flywheel forward. 3. Create your target contact list. Third, create your TCL (target contact list). Remember, B2B (business-to-business) marketing is ABM (account-based marketing). When developing your marketing plan, always think in terms of target account ecosystems. Who are the most reliable players who can best support your bottom line? These should be the prospects at the top of your TCL — the accounts you woo above all others. For B2B, you can get to the contact level, building a direct line of communication and trust between you and your target accounts. Because of this hyper-personalized approach to marketing, your strategy must remain flexible to adapt to whatever ecosystem in which you are selling. These targets will become the customers that keep your flywheel turning. 4. Get your message into the world. Fourth, do marketing activities to get your message into the world. Splash your brand across the right channels like digital, television, and direct mail. Your strategy will be unique to your target client list and value propositions. Which activities should you choose? The truth is you won’t always know until you try and measure. When you are first starting out, stay laser-focused on your target audience, but consider casting a wider net in terms of the channels by which you reach audiences. Once your message is out in the world, you have reached the final stage of the flywheel. It is time to execute your go-to-market plan, sit back, and let the flywheel carry out what you built. 5. Keep turning the flywheel. Measure, iterate, refine. Try, try again. The important thing to remember about the flywheel process is that it never stops turning. It is crucial to constantly talk to your customers, whether through market research, data analytics, or a simple cold call. The moment you let yourself or your business get complacent is the moment the market leaves you behind. Keep your finger on the pulse and always be ready to pivot and adjust when the moment demands it. Follow these go-to-market flywheels and you will be on the path to success. Veer off course even a little, and you have lost your way forevermore! Okay, maybe not forever, but marketing takes resources and dedication and can make or break your business. Read the full Forbes article here.
The New Viewstream.com Posted by Priscilla De La Rosa on September 12, 2019 Viewstream is where your story becomes extraordinary. We’re excited to announce the launch of our new website that reflects who we are as a creative digital agency. We spent a lot of time talking to our customers about why we do what we do. We realized that our clients are doing amazing and innovative work that is truly moving the world forward. We all agreed that our passion lies in telling these stories, and making your story extraordinary. Viewstream partners with innovative companies to build brands, launch digital marketing and acquire customers. To that end, our new website offers a clear expression of what we offer, including digital marketing, video and creative, and the award-winning work examples to prove it. We look forward to telling your next story. If you’re interested in learning more, let’s talk!