Brand Marketing 101

Over the holidays I decided to sit back and process 2021 and my experience in business. This episode talks about the ways I'm rethinking my business in 2022 to have an even better year in business. I offer some tips and strategies, that if applied, could help you have a great year in business in 2022. If you're a videographer, this edpisode talks directly about the changes I'm making to my videography business in 2022. Learn how to sale without being pushy.

Are you struggling to create engaging content using social media? Today I’m going to share with you a 3-step process that I use when creating copy or script writing for video. Following this process has dramatically improved my watch time and engagement, if you follow this process, you will also see the same results.

To begin our planning phase, we should take a moment to decide what our topic is going to be. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out your topic, so you should consider reaching out to your social media network.

For example:

I reached out to my LinkedIn connections asking them what information they would find valuable when searching for a video production company. It’s important to reach out to the people who you want to market to and ask them to help you understand their buying process.

I would recommend doing this in a non-formal way allowing your connection to speak freely. Doing this allows your connection to truly speak their mind allowing you to get even more accurate information. Don’t be shy, those who respond want to help you. Ask all the questions you can so that you can be effective with communicating your message to potential clients.

Most people think everyone is on social media, so it doesn’t matter which platform you use, however that is not entirely true. Understanding your client demographics will help you understand which platforms to use.

Are your customers educated, LinkedIn is a great platform. Are your customers under or over 50? If your clients are under 50, places like LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Tok-tok, and Instagram are ideal. If your clients are over 50, social media may not be your best platforms, however most people over 50 use Facebook to keep up with friends and family or YouTube for DIY and demo content.

Also, choosing the right platform means that the typical end users meet your demographics. Choosing the wrong platform or just taking a shot in the dark does not always work, I’m speaking from experience. If you’re wondering why you’re not getting results, this may be the reason.

Choosing a platform is more than just demographics, it also has to do with style. If you’re using Facebook, make a lot of I statements. If you’re using platforms like LinkedIn, use a lot of we statements, and team participation are key when creating content. If you’re using a platform like YouTube, it’s about the you statement when creating content.

Lastly, when choosing a platform, especially if you’re using video, understanding the video format will be key when deciding how to shoot your video. Platforms like Tik-Tok and YouTube shorts require a 9:16, whereas other platforms want 16:9 or 4:5. Knowing these platforms will help you decide the background of your static shots.

Most small businesses, when starting out, have a hard time with this concept. You should decide if your content is going to be Branded content, Sales content, or Explainer content. To help you understand, here’s some basic definitions of what each purpose should include.

· Sharing behind the scenes content

· Sharing company culture

· Showing uses for content without asking for the sale

· Origin story

· Brand Mascot

· Ask for the sale 3 times

· Content is based around one product or service

· Embedding knowledge of human psychology in the content

· Demo a product

· Share intended uses of product

· Overview of services or warranty

· How to get best uses of products or services

Since the beginning of the pandemic, it seems like the world has gone full Terminator overnight. Over the last couple of months, I've been keeping up with all the different updates and roll outs for LinkedIn and Facebook. It seems like in the post pandemic world, the only way to advertise is online, what better medium than social media?

LinkedIn is in the process of rolling out live streaming for everyone and have now created the Creative channel. In the post pandemic reality, it seems like the various social media platforms have taken an increased roll in networking and e-commerce. If I'm connecting with a potential prospect or trying to market to prospects, the algorithm penalizes me because a website takes that user off platform. I find it much easier to post on all platforms uniformly for message consistency and increasing my page following over the traditional website. If you want to attract business in the post pandemic world, you’ll need to grow your social media following instead of driving website traffic.

Are you designing a mascot for your brand? These are some tips and questions you should ask your designer before starting. 

https://garfieldmedia.com

Why Do I Believe In Organic Brand Marketing I grew up in an environment that revered small business owners as much as veteran soldiers. As the years have moved along, I wanted to know the best marketing strategies for my first business many years ago. As a young in business entrepreneur or stuggling small business owner, branding seems like Mt. Everest and costs more money than you have. Fotunately, that couldn't be further from the truth. As a small business owner, because I committed to brand marketing, I was able to find budget friendly ways to market my business. I have learned over the years that without a brand marketing strategy in place, you'll always be a struggling business owner. What really worked for me was simplifying the termonlogy, which will be covered in a minute. There are two ways invest in brand marketing. First, you could take the extra time to learn different pieces of software such as the Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Davinci Resolve, etc. so that you can market yourself on a shoestring budget. Secondly, you could hire out the help through individuals such as Garfield Media or other content apps. Unfortunately all inexpensive things must come to an end, you'll only get so far without help from a professional such as Garfield Media or other Marketing and Media companies. Brand Awareness What is a brand? A brand could be simply defined as your reputation to the community and what emotions your product or service brings out in current and future customers. Creating your brand image is like creating a personality for your business. Your brand may stand for causes, community involvement projects, or even a movement. Overall, branding is more important than sales because it creates awareness and loyalty. As a young business, current clients may know the quality of service you offer, future and potential customers are completely unaware. Using a brand mascot allows your business to reach a broader range of potential customers. Think of any character you ever watched on a commercial, for me it was Tony the Tiger and Green Giant. How many years has it been since you've seen that mascot and what could you tell me about that brand? Puppet Branding Video 1h Book Now Instant Recognition If I used a thumbnail with a cartoon tiger on it, would your brain automatically associate it to Tony the Tiger? When you use a mascot for your branded content, as time moves along, your audience will automatically recognize it. So what are the benefits of instant recognition? When an individual recognizes your mascot, subconciously all the feelings and emotions towards that mascot reveal themselves during the interaction. Depending how you use your brand mascot, it can be seen as an authority in your industry. Think of McGruff the Crime Dog, when people think of crime prevention, they think of McGruff making "him" as an authority in Law Enforcement. An even better example would be Wal-Mart's mascot, I think his name is Rollo. Whenever you see a smiley face with sunglasses rolling back a price, subconciously you're thinking about Wal-Mart. There doesn't even need to be a logo or background colors that match for your brain to think about Wal-Mart. What business owner wouldn't want a brand recognized as easily and by all audiences? Mascot Merchandise At first glance, you might think I'm a little crazy for this one, but hear me out. Mascot Merchandising is important in your overall brand marketing, here's how. You can offer prizes of your Mascot such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, or stuffed animals. This creates opportunities for your branded merchandise to increase your audience and brand awareness. You can offer Mascot Merchandise to your clients, especially new clients depending on the industry you're in. Everyone wants to be part of the club, so Mascot Merchandise allows for subtle opportunities for Us Vs. Them branding strategies. 

One of the easier and more important ways to distinguish your brand from another is the Us Vs. Them strategy. This strategy will help you build value and effectively create a loyal brand following if done correctly.