VENDORCO Blog

 It was the great English author and philosopher Sir Francis Bacon who said “Knowledge is power”. Life and business success are achieved through knowledge. Experienced, knowledgeable experts are absolutely necessary to the success of your business.

VENDORCO is a 20 year retail product placement and program development expert and the creator of the 15 Elements of Successful Product Placement book, specific to newer businesses.  If you or your company need cost effective knowledge about retail, purchase a 20 minute Professional Phone Consultation for just $49.99 and receive a complimentary copy of 15 Elements of Successful Product Placement.

Click here for more information or to purchase your 20 Minute Professional Phone Consultation.

Top 2 New Business Branding Mistakes:

1. Email address

2. Web site

Do not use Gmail, yahoo or hotmail email addresses.  Any reputable company has a company email address.  It separates a business from a hobby. The lack of a company email address will relay the message that your company is underdeveloped and therefore under qualified.

Websites are an extension of your company and your products. The website must give a unique look, feel, taste, smell, and feeling about your company. It’s like a corn company who has a opera music playing or an amusement park company with an image of someone sleeping.  It doesn’t really target the demographic.  Your website should not be too wordy and should have a synergy between text, images, and details.

Want to know more about branding costs? Which costs are important and which are avoidable? Read more here

1. Coca-Cola
2. IBM
3. Microsoft
4. Google
5. GE
6. McDonald’s
7. Intel
8. Nokia
9. Disney
10. Hewlett-Packard

Read about branding mistakes here

Looking to improve or build your company brand? The top three most important questions to ask when

looking for a top quality marketing/branding company are:

1. What does their brand look like? – The ability to build their own brand is a perfect reference to how they will build your brand. Look at their website look and feel, if you don’t like it – don’t hire them! If you don’t feel confident judging them simply by the look and feel of their branding materials, ask them to explain their brand to you.  Also, be conscious of how many branding experts they have available to serve your company. 

2. How many years of experience do they have? – be sure they are an established company with over 10 years of experience!

3. Who are their clients? – you will want to know what current and past companies they have served,  AND be sure to contact their references. If their clients are largely food product companies and you are a non-foods company, that may not be a good match.  Also, consider the size of the companies they are serving compared to your own.

4. 
   

Looking for examples of top branding companies? Click here

New or emerging businesses mostly advertise through print, electronic, or in person. Print advertising includes newspapers, flyer ads, magazines, and mailers.

Electronic advertising includes radio, television, and internet.

In-Person advertising includes street fairs, door-to-door sales, and is considered a form of Gorilla marketing.

Advertising is largely a necessity.

When you Google search the term “Advertising” over 2 Billion sites are available on the subject.

Advertising results are best realized in 6 month increments.

Why 6 month increments?

Generally, it takes hearing or seeing an ad 4 times before a customer will fully absorb what your company or ad is about.

  Thus the rule of thumb is to consistently target the same demographic for at least 6 months., then move to a new option of advertising if it does not do well.

  We suggest you do your research or hire an expert prior before purchasing any advertising.

See the advertisement from a top 5 branded United States company:

http://youtu.be/R4vkVHijdQk

How to find a successful branding company? Read more here

Brand equals value.

Value to the consumer.

Value to the retailer.

Your brand represents the value of your company and the value of its products.

All contenders at Interbrand’s 2010 “Best Global Brands” clearly have deployed complete branding packages.

A complete brand reaches its desired demographic using the five senses.

U.S. consumers are brand driven, which is why they will wait in longer lines, pay more, and drive farther to purchase a branded product.

A basic branding package (website, business card, marketing brochure or flyer) is just basic.

Like food and shelter. A complete brand appeals to your senses on many levels.

A complete brand is orchestrated to hypnotize you to watch, to buy, to feel, to smell, to confirm why you want to purchase this well branded item.

A complete brand becomes an effective and clear motivation for consumers to buy, buy, buy!

Read about advertising opportunities for new business here

A basic brand package consists of a website, business cards, and a marketing brochure or flyer.  Within the Basic branding package be sure you select colors, text, logo, etc. that help differentiate you from your competitors.  These basic items will help validate that you are a business, not a hobby! Please keep in mind a website, business card, and marketing piece are considered the bare minimum and should be accepted as a starting point. Once you have established your basic branding package, work with a professional to create a complete branding package.

Read more here

The

New Business topic for the month of July is branding

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” 

Recognize that a company’s brand is its own unique identity, making branding a vital piece to your business.

This month we will cover:

• Basic Branding – What does basic branding consist of?

• Complete Branding Package – What does a complete branding package consist of?

• Advertising Options – What advertising venues should you explore?

• Brand Consulting – How to find a qualified branding company

• Brand Leaders – Top branded companies in the US

• Biggest Branding Mistakes – Know what not to do

• Knowledge is Power – How to expand your branding knowledge

Are you a new or emerging company? Do you have specific branding questions? View our blogs for assistance, purchase a 20 minute telephone consultation and receive a free copy of our booklet, 15 Elements of Successful Product Placement from www.vendorco.com/consulting.