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B2B Brands

Moving from B2B to B4B: A New Code for B2B Brands

September 28, 2016 —

Moving from B2B to B4B: A New Code for B2B Brands

Could a subtle change in the way you think increase your potential as a B2B brand? For example, consider the difference between business-to-business (B2B) and business-for-business (B4B). B2B: Business-to-business suggests two separate and different entities, one “selling” to the other. B4B: Business-for-business suggests many companies in a value chain working toward a common goal of ever-greater end-customer satisfaction. A shift to a B4B stance means making your brand known as one that embraces the shared interests of all the businesses and people who will benefit from a stronger and more...
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Why Law Firms Need Brand Strategy

April 22, 2016 —

Why Law Firms Need Brand Strategy

Consulting Firms are brands too Within professional services and consulting firms, there’s very little that distinguishes one brand from another. Practice areas and services all lead with the same claims: excellent client service, tailored solutions, and global reach. So much similarity makes all consulting firms blend together. Taglines echo. Logos mirror each other. Marketing copy follows the same jargon. Ultimately, they become indistinguishable. As the shift to a buyer’s market solidifies, competitive rivalries intensify. It’s no longer enough for a firm’s identity to be solely linked to...
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Startup Brands Should Follow This Strategy to Authentically Differentiate

April 15, 2016 —

Startup Brands Should Follow This Strategy to Authentically Differentiate

Startup brands stop leading with features and benefits! If only more startup brands understood the value of brand strategy and how it could lead them away from leading with features and benefits vs. why the brand matters. Convincing minds by capturing hearts: the new brand-building approach. What comes first? The rational decision to take the next step on the path to purchase, or the emotional trigger that gets them started on that path? Aren’t we humans cool? We pride ourselves on our cognitive skills, our ability to weigh pros and cons, and our decision-making power. After all, these...
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Is Your B2B Brand Talking to the Wall?

April 5, 2016 —

Is Your B2B Brand Talking to the Wall?

We believe B2B brand owners need to rethink how their brand behaves in the marketplace. While we appreciate the humor of Hugh MacLeod’s cartoon, we actually think some brands talk in a way that leaves people feeling numb. This is especially true of B2B brands which seem to think that business buyers are robots, that it is dangerous to have a personality and that buzzwords and cliches are poetry. Perhaps the reason why so many B2B brands are so unadverturous is because they haven’t yet realized the value of connecting meaningfully with the people to whom they are selling (you...
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Differentiate Your Product With A “Why” vs. “What” Approach

March 31, 2016 —

Differentiate Your Product With A “Why” vs. “What” Approach

Are you looking for strategies to differentiate your product? There is one key shift you can make to change the way people think, feel, and talk about it. It’s only natural for you and your team to focus on the “what” of your business. After all, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your product is in the app store, on the shelves, online, and on the minds of consumers. You built the product. And you live your product every day. You know it inside out. You know exactly how it works. You know all the ways that your product is better than the others. The only trouble is...
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Time to Reconnect Your B2B Brand to Your Bottom Line

March 9, 2016 —

Time to Reconnect Your B2B Brand to Your Bottom Line

Is your B2B brand disconnected from your daily operations? Do your senior executives consider your brand as they make decisions, sell to clients, hire staff? Are your employees able to draw from your brand the inspiration and motivation they need to be effective and gratified in their work? Do your partners know enough about what your brand is trying to achieve to offer the best possible assistance? Are your investors believing that your brand is building value for them? Do your customers resonate with your brand in ways that distance you from your competition? If your brand is simply a logo...
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Doing Good Feels Good – Is Your Brand on Board?

March 1, 2016 —

Doing Good Feels Good – Is Your Brand on Board?

Action for Happiness is a movement for positive social change. We’re bringing together people from all walks of life who want to play a part in creating a happier society for everyone. This video from Action for Happiness spurred some thinking on brands and what people are looking for today. Let’s start by defining “happy”. It can be superficial – like what you feel as you watch a TV ad that makes you laugh or brings a tear to your eye. It can be profound – as in what you feel when you know that what you’re doing is doing good for others. We’ve...
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Fast Forward: Our New Offering for High-Growth Companies

January 25, 2016 —

Fast Forward: Our New Offering for High-Growth Companies

Developing Fast Forward, an agile marketing, branding, and business offering was the right thing for our team to develop for startups, to address the issues startups are facing right now. We have created Fast Forward designed for our high-growth clients that need to make strategic shifts to quickly address product, industry, competitive, alignment, and other issues. Fast Forward is an agile workshop approach that very quickly develops a strategically aligned and nuanced understanding of your business and brand’s current situation. We bring the most important issues to light — business...
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The Human Dimension of Law Firm Branding

January 11, 2016 —

The Human Dimension of Law Firm Branding

Law firm branding is not easy. I find it ironic that many of the most people-driven enterprises in our economy – law firms, architecture, consulting, and engineering firms – are often the most superficial with branding. For most professional service firms, “branding” is only about logos and color palettes. It seems branding’s only goal is to project a serious, professional, and trustworthy identity. Unfortunately, this limited view of branding leads most professional service firms to the same bland destination. Indeed, the Internet is littered with the drab, me-too,...
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How do you differentiate your startup in a crowded category?

May 29, 2015 —

How do you differentiate your startup in a crowded category?

Startups in crowded categories should lead with brand. There are many wake-up calls for the founders of startups. One of the more difficult realizations comes fairly early into your journey; the day you wake up and discover that despite your unique, disruptive offering, you have plenty of company. When you first started, when you made your investor pitch and got that angel round, you thought you were so far ahead, there was no category to contain you. But while you’ve been heads down, looking for funding, hiring people, grinding out product, and trying to get customers, a crowded category...
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