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"CREATE RAVING FANS"
Enter to win our Branding+Photography mentoring session by following these steps:
1. Leave a comment on our blog with your name and let us know what aspect of your brand that you would most like to see improved. (PS: We may will send you our Branding Aspect form just for commenting!)
2. Mosey on over to Ryan Price’s blog and leave a comment on his Re-Brand post stating your name and your favorite summertime drink.
3. Like both of our Facebook Pages (if you haven’t already)! [Ryan + The Creative Cup]
4. Tell your friends!! Share this blog post on your Facebook Feed.
The winner will be announced on Monday, July 9th!
One of our favorite things about our work is getting to connect with such creative, passionate and focused people like Ryan Price. Ryan is an incredibly talented local photographer who recently went through our thought-provoking internal branding sessions. These sessions are designed for entrepreneurs to address and strengthen the most important aspects of their internal brand.
First, Ryan worked extremely hard on our Brand Work Book and was open to ask himself the hard questions like what he personally valued, what were his goals in business and life, and what really makes him tick. This established the heart of his business, because his brand should be an authentic reflection of himself.
Next we worked with Ryan to define his ideal client. Not just gender, age, location but specifics about his ideal client. What do they like to drink? Where do they spend their free time? What is their ideal “date night”? These are the clients that he wants to attract, but guess what, they would want to hire him too- and on top of that it makes his work fun!
We then began the “Create Raving Fans Plan” and tailored his business to attract and satisfy his ideal client. We wanted his business to knock the socks off of every client so that they would tell everyone they know: family, friends and even post about him on social media. We narrowed down every single touch point he has with potential clients and current clients and provided a plan to make a lasting impression that will strengthen and grow his business.
Finally, we created a “Marketing Plan of Action.” We narrowed down advertising efforts where his ideal client would hear about him. We provided helpful tips in networking, ways to be intentional on the oh-so-profitable referrals, and even developed a social media plan to connect with his ideal client.
Ryan understands that a new brand does not evolve overnight, but with his hard work and determination he has already made great strides!
From Ryan:
What was your favorite thing about working with us?
M’Lynn + Heather were just so easy going and approachable. From the very beginning, I felt like they were genuine and had my best interest in mind. They were also not afraid to shoot straight with me.
What was the most valuable thing you took away from the branding experience?
Establishing my ideal client and now developing everything I do with them in mind.
Explain how you felt before and after your brand experience.
Before the branding experience, I was desperate to develop a brand that I felt comfortable with and proud to stand behind. I had flip flopped between different “looks” for several years, always thinking that it was the “one”, and then being disappointed again in a matter of months. I wanted to step back and establish my identity before I attempted to work on a visual brand again. After working with The Creative Cup, I was so grateful that the things we focused primarily on were the values and identity of my brand. I felt like my mind had been opened to see things completely different, and I was pumped to begin serving my clients in a whole new way!
Do you feel like your brand fits you and your business perfectly?
Absolutely! I feel like M’Lynn + Heather really nailed it. When they began showing me concepts that they came up with, I just nodded my head and smiled. It was exactly what I would have hoped for, and honestly, a lot more.
Do you have advice for others?
Quit trying to piece together your brand in your spare time. Consider all the money you spend on advertising and marketing and realize that if you would just invest in your brand, a lot of that would take care of itself. Having a professional come alongside you and open your eyes to things that you wouldn’t see on your own is invaluable.
Congratulations Ryan! You worked so hard to transform your brand into something powerful. We look forward to see the incredible ways your business will grow!
My favorite service that we offer here at The Creative Cup is what we call “Create Raving Fans Plan.” This plan is all about shaping the customer’s experience.
There are many, many “Branding” companies out there that solely focus on the logo, packaging, advertising, and other marketing materials; but if you ask a company to design a logo or an advertisement without them knowing the heart and soul of your business, you are wasting your money. Bottom line, your brand is the emotion that a customer feels when thinking about your product. To know the desired emotion, you must really know the company: their values, goals, fears, passion, and mission.
There is one, and only one, thing that creates customer emotion: the customer’s experience with your product or service. So although we can create an attractive logo, and develop marketing materials that stand out from competition, we are not developing a strong brand if we do not focus in on the customer’s emotion towards your brand.
Brand is almost entirely the result of the customers’ experience with a product, so put yourself in your customer shoes today. What would your experience be?
We have had the privilege to work with the amazing Ashley Edgar of Ashley Austin Homes developing her Raving Fans Plan. We have aided in her Customer Relationship Management Plan (CRM) for over a year now and have seen how important (and profitable) the idea of Customer Retention is greater than Customer.
Austin Real Estate is extremely competitive, and so every touch point you have with a customer is crucial to the success of your business. How many times have you been to a “networking event” passed your card out and walked away with a handful of cards you don’t even know what to do with. With her plan, every met contact, we make count, making the most of every relationship.
At first glance, I thought that the real estate was probably the only industry that would need such a strong CRM Program, however, if you are a business owner, you know how strong your competition is, and how expensive advertising can be. Here are a few highlights of developing a strong CRM Plan and a few examples of how we can help!
1. Abandon the idea that advertising’s job ends with the sale. The sale is the beginning of an opportunity to create an enduring, profitable brand relationship with the customer.
2. A brand is not an asset, but the brand loyalty is the true asset to the company. What are you doing now to build loyalty and make sure they aren’t going to your competitor?
3. Your marketing goal is not to attract buyers, but to convert buyers into loyalists, and loyalists into enthusiasts and evangelists.
4.The Marketing after the sale is as equal importance to the marketing before the sale. Again, the SALE is not the GOAL. Enduring, profitable growth is the goal.
5. As brand loyalty goes up, price sensitivity goes down. As brand loyalty goes up, marketing costs go down. As brand loyalty goes up, sensitivity to competitive promotions goes down. As brand loyalty goes up, interest in trying new products/services from the brand go up.
