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Distinguishing Marks: Set Your Business Apart by Developing a Unique
Identity |
Fifteen Minutes With Kathie Currie, Owner of The Country Florist, Silt Colorado |
Five Fast Pathways to Building
Your Business Identity
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How
Important
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Distinguishing Marks: Set Your Business Apart by Developing a Unique Identity. |
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Finding yourself in your business Many small businesses in an increasingly diversified economy find it frustrating and difficult to compete with large employing forces, like big box retailers and global corporations. Certainly, in such an economy, coping with the proliferation of smaller scale competitors can be equally daunting. If you’ve been agonizing over how to set your business apart from your competitors, but have come up empty handed -- since you see little distinction based upon basic services, products, pricing and so forth -- perhaps you should take a closer look at your business identity. Think about your neighbor for a minute. Everything you know about them is a result of your exposure to them – hopefully first hand. If they are your friend, that coveted relationship is probably largely based upon the kind of person they are, which translates into what they’ve done and how they’ve done it. If they’re a schmuck, you’ve probably learned this in similar fashion. The same attributes that inspire how you regard your neighbor apply likewise to a business. Businesses have personalities, which, if small, are usually closely reflective of their owners – or those closest to the policies and day-to-day operations of that business. This identity is usually quite evident regardless of whether a business owner is aware of it. This is why it is prudent to not only acknowledge that identity, but -- if it is positive -- fully develop, manage, and promote it. If you find your business suffers from a negative image, take immediate and necessary steps to amend it. Your business identity relates directly with what you offer a buying public and how you offer it. Do you adjust your structure, inventory and approach in response to the needs of your customer/client base? What policies do you put in place to ensure customer satisfaction and, if necessary, resolve conflict? How effective are you and your employees at cultivating strong customer relations? All of these aspects communicate to consumers the mood, tone and very identity of an enterprise, reinforcing both initial impression and lingering perception. Brand yourself Essential to long-term consumer recognition are core marketing components such as your logo, slogan and signage design. Other features can be just as distinguishing and should be incorporated within all your print media. These can include specific imagery, a color palette, and a repeated message. Though, these aspects of your identity can be added cumulatively, as you grow your business and increasingly define and refine your market, ideally, these components should be well-entrenched before you lunch your company. Doing so will present a more unified, and therefore powerful and memorable image to the public, earning more mileage from your initial and all subsequent marketing efforts. Because of the value implied in a well prepared business identity and all future design decisions which should take such factors into account, when the time arrives to build your image, it is well worth the investment of a professional to guide your efforts. Design components which are added without consideration of their integrated value; those which are added in a rush; or, those which are added as an afterthought, tend to lack overall cohesion and vital unification relative to your central image. This type of improper image management can contribute to a perception of inconsistency within your market, fostering confusion, and potentially lending a persistent edge to your competitors. Consistency is key Another aspect of identity is something much more concrete and consistent. It involves the correlative management of all promotional efforts within a unified marketing campaign. This is referred to as integrated marketing. In my opinion, integrated marketing is the only kind of marketing seriously worthy of time, effort and budget - regardless of a company's size and resource base. Effective integrated marketing requires that all components of your marketing outreach combine to create a dynamic, sustainable and enhanced presentation of your business image. The essentials of an integrated marketing plan include: brand positioning; the communication of value; and the presentation of a well-defined business identity conveyed within an outreach program which, through association, strengthens every other outreach aspect, yet, is still capable of independently communicating your key message to consumers. Together, these marketing components can provide consumers with powerful inspiration to buy. Leverage your position A third aspect of identity building involves becoming aware of and capitalizing on your unique market position. Strengthening your image can involve cultivating partnerships with other businesses who may share reciprocal interests – and market base. For instance, an auto-parts house could benefit from a partnership with an auto repair shop. These two complimentary businesses can enjoy the rewards of physical proximity or space sharing, as well as leverage one another’s individual identities and reliably positive reputations. All this, while connecting with a shared market base and potentially saving costs otherwise associated with greater independent marketing efforts. Another means of establishing the identity of your business is through recognizing the value your business represents to your consumer, then developing and leveraging it. Let's say your business caters to a small market which seeks an increasingly specialized product or service. Building upon niche demand enables you to build your services and inventories around specialty or higher quality items. Perhaps you can offer greater selection, or easily facilitate special orders. These days, the theory of convenience runs up against the hard realities of time management in our busy schedules. You can win loyalty by providing a pick-up time for an out-of-stock item, rather than loosing frustrated customers over the typical big-box response, “I don’t know when we’ll get it in – we just stock what they send us.” Reliably happy, hassle-free transactions can quickly elevate you above the competition. Knowing and appreciating what your customers value about your business can help you incorporate that aspect into identity development. Another means of leveraging your unique market position lies in creating and building upon a unique buying experience by tending an atmosphere in which people feel comfortable. Folks may go to a large franchise restaurant for the recognition and sometimes reliability of reputation, but they go to small, unique places because these places speak directly to a person’s emotions by providing an unmistakable and one-of-a-kind sense of space, familiarity and belonging. If you also offer reliability, you’re more likely to win the “favorite” designation. Beyond price and convenience Beyond price and convenience, people regularly shop, play and eat where they feel comfortable, cared-for and kindred. This can be an area of business design where you can create a positive image in the eyes of consumers and, as a result, benefit from the rewards of increased customer loyalty.
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Fifteen Minutes With Kathie Currie: Owner, The Country Florist |
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Meet Kathie Currie (front row right), owner of The Country Florist. A certified Master Gardener, Kathie has been a Silt resident for 30 years. Now, in its eleventh year, The Country Florist has been the recipient of numerous distinctions, including Silver - Local’s Choice; Business of the month: Rifle Chamber of Commerce; and, Business of the year: Silt Chamber of Commerce. I spent a sunny June morning visiting with Kathie about the unique joys, rewards and challenges of developing and building a successful home-based business. |
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photo: © Blair Bracken, 2006 |
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Pictured are (front row
left to right): Husband, Don; Grandsons, Wyatt and Levi; Kathie. (Back
row, left to right): friend and designer, Sam; and, daughter, Sheila |
The Country
Florist |
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I breezed through the door of Kathie’s shop (The Country Florist) early one summer afternoon and couldn’t believe how much it had grown in the year since I’d been by to pick up a bouquet of daisies. “Whoops!” A pint-sized Superman with a long towel around his shoulders scooted by in his attempt to outrun a smaller version of the same super-hero brandishing a squirt-gun. The two shot through the shop and were met at the backdoor by a dog crazed with joy as the trio made a bee-line for the three ring pool in the back yard. Kathie looked up at me, a little sheepish, but twinkling – “It’s a family business.” She grinned. “Aren’t those always the best?” I said, brushing a little water off a work table and plopping down my interview notebook. This is a working shop after all. And, amid Sheila, (Kathie’s daughter) grabbing a ringing telephone; Sam (one of Kathie’s designers and long-time friend) clipping stems and arranging flowers; Kathie’s husband, Don, poking his head in and asking for something cool to drink; and Kathie’s grandson’s Wyatt and Levi whipping through like a couple of dervishes, things somehow got done efficiently and with happy smiles all around. “Have you finally outgrown your shop?” I asked. “Yep. I’m afraid so.” Kathie took in her packed surroundings with a wistful sigh. “So business has been good?” “It’s been great. You know, for a while back in 2003 when Wal-Mart first came in, things slowed down. But, now, we’re back to the same level of growth we were experiencing back then – ten to thirty percent a year.” Next to Kathie’s home several miles out in the county, The Country Florist is tucked away in a workably cluttered shop behind a quaintly decorated country showroom displaying numerous gift items. Aware that a number of businesses in the Rifle area felt they could not compete with a big-box retailer, and at least one, during this period, closed its doors, I asked Kathie to what she attributed the turn around. “Several things, really. We offer things that a big retailer may have more trouble delivering. First of all, we are very community minded. By that, I mean we personally know each of our customers, their kids and families. We also work hard to give the customer what they want, including custom orders. In this business, we have to meet two levels of satisfaction. First, from the person who initiates the order – often to give as a gift to someone else. Second, the person receiving the order must also be completely satisfied. So we pay a lot of attention to getting orders right and giving customers what they want. As hard as we try, however, there are rare occasions when, for whatever reason, a customer is simply not satisfied. For this, we even have a ‘sweetest complainer award.’ There are super customers who are so kind, they call and actually apologize for complaining. Of course, our goal is to make sure they are happy with their order, but beyond that, we reward these wonderful folks with a bag of candy or free bouquet. The bottom line is that we are in this business to make smiles. Our 100% guarantee ensures that if something isn’t right, we fix it. Our customers really value that kind of attention.” “You are in an interesting situation in that, while you’re a small business, you benefit from your association with Teleflora, a national floral wire service. Explain how that association has given you support.” “Our relationship with Teleflora has been very helpful. While I believe we’ve built our business on our reputation and dedication to customer service, Teleflora has provided us with numerous tangible benefits. For example, they provide prospective customers through their wire service. We field the order and deliver. Teleflora provides us an opportunity to connect with a new customer and develop a relationship of trust based on our level of customer service. Also, Teleflora provides ad slicks and arrangement designs which are helpful in demonstrating to customers the range of selections available to choose from. As an independent business, though, we’ve reached a stage of maturity where we’re excited to offer many of our own containers and arrangements. Our designers bring a lot of creativity to both our rustic and more contemporary arrangements.” “What other techniques have you implemented to help secure your competitive place in our local market?” “Managing growth, controlling cost and staying on top of the latest technology are challenges we continue to meet daily. We assure a long-lasting, quality floral product by using the latest flower processing techniques. Some of the cost issues are organizing delivery times, so we do fewer runs. My husband is in charge of all vehicle maintenance and computer technology, which can easily get out of hand. We carefully calculate our costs to reflect precise pricing of flowers, baskets, etc. Since we are really busy during the holidays and even squeezed for space temporarily, we uniquely manage our staffing needs by allowing our part-time employees to choose their own hours and days to work. They can also bring their kids or grandkids to work -- and even their dog, if they need to! Our size and flexibility allows us to design our needs right around our customers with little to no disruption in efficiency.” “You’ve built an identity for The Country Florist, and with it, customer loyalty. How did you come up with the charming name, and how have you built that identity over the years?” “Three friends and I, including Sam, were out walking one morning and we were tossing around names. The Country Florist seemed to stand out. All of our stuffers, labels, everything is highly marked with our name or an up-coming product or special we offer.” “Have you always offered more than floral arrangements or was this a diversification technique used to expand your market appeal?” “Yes and yes. We’ve always sold more than flowers. I’m very crafty, love to garden, and enjoy offering products which compliment our floral arrangements. So, we also offer plant maintenance, silks and personalized gift baskets, balloons, outdoor garden baskets, unique rustic novelty containers, cards and other gift items. We also specialize in weddings. We have a full line of wedding announcements, napkins, champagne glasses, gift items and rentals. It’s nice when a customer stops by and is able to leave with more than they thought they could find all in one place. My motivation has always been to find a niche and combine that with what customers want.” “So what’s on the horizon?” “Since we continue to grow, and we’ve just about outgrown the shop, we are contemplating a move into Silt within the next year or so. This will open our operation to walk-in traffic and introduce a new level of convenience to our customers. We’re also excited by the possibility of working in partnership with a cake shop as well, which will help both of us increase visibility within our related markets.” As Sheila deftly reaches around me to process another order over the phone, I ask what day to day operations are like in the shop. “As a full-service florist, we receive orders 24/7 over incoming lines, our website, or from Teleflora’s wire service. From there, we design and fill those orders and make our local deliveries seven days a week.” “Is it difficult balancing the demands of a small business with family life?” “After my youngest child left home I wanted something that I liked that would coincide with my lifestyle and family life. This is the perfect fit.” “What are some of the joys and rewards of running your own business?” “I really enjoy sharing the latest trends with customers, staying in touch with long-time customers on a friendship basis, and the day-to-day flexibility that allows me to maintain my personal life. I love to be able to work with long-time friends, my husband and grown children and having my grandchildren around on a daily basis. This is it… my definition of success -- when I can work hard and pay my bills and still have a family life.” As a result of keeping her vision in focus, this is the life and business Kathie has created through care, commitment and occasional chaos. The identity of The Country Florist is unmistakable, and her customers count on that every time they place an order. The phone rings again, and I can’t help but grin as the boys charge past the open back door -- the sound of Sylvia, the goose, honking in the distance. |
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Five Fast Pathways to Building Your Business Identity
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MARKET SHOT |
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If you believe your
marketing budget won’t allow for repeat exposure in broadcast media, think again. You
may be able to negotiate remnant space, on an as-available basis for a
substantial discount. |
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This feature encourages subscribers to write in and ask a marketing question. Only registered subscribers receive the 'submit a question' format. Three questions which reflect topics of interest to subscribers, will be selected and posted anonymously together with responses in the next edition. The automated questionnaire, below, will not appear in archived editions, but all posted questions and answers will. Have a marketing question? Ask AIMS! |
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Q. I'm moving to a new location, but I want to make sure my customers can find me in my new space. How can I ensure I can still be found among those who have heard of my business and may even know where my business is, but have never been inside? A. You are wise to be concerned. The last thing you want to do in moving to a new location is lose, through lack of planning and promotion, any hard-won customers you've gained over time. Sending an advance notice to all those who comprise your customer base, lets them know your anticipated relocation date in advance of your move. Don't forget to follow up with a "New Location" notice, once you've actually moved in. This is one reason it is so important to build a data base or at least a reference file of customers/clients. This system of notices helps you cover your 'regulars' by directly telling them about your new location. In addition to sending out notices, hosting an open house (noting the time, date and place on your relocation notice), is a great way of inviting your customers in for a view of your new digs. This is really important, because if too much time goes by without your existing customer base actually experiencing your new location, they may lose the notice, fail to find you in an old directory (before the new one comes out) or find any number of ways to lose touch with you. You could offer a coupon, door prizes, munchies and refreshments, or other incentives which encourage your existing customer base to visit you in your new location. Advertise this aggressively in order to keep contact with existing customers and encourage new ones. Depending upon how reliant your business is on 'walk-in' traffic, you may like to broadcast your new location for a couple of months in media such as the newspaper and/or on the radio. If your business is highly dependent on foot traffic, then you'll likely want to promote in this manner for a longer period of time – for example, six months to a year. This method encourages new customers and helps get the word to customers who may stop by infrequently. Remember to update all your directory listings, and lastly, if you are dependent on foot traffic, you may want to work out an agreement with the new tenants/owners of your old location to allow a "We’ve moved!" sign to remain behind for, say, six months or a year. This will provide some notice to periodic customers, and help promote your business as well as its location to any potential customers. |
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Q. I need to come up with a logo, but am completely clueless. Can you give me some pointers? A. although, an iconic image is all we generally think of when we look at a logo, there is much more going on than meets the eye. A good logo design will communicate a great deal in a very tiny space. At the least, a good logo should communicate: 1) the image or personality of your business; 2) the key message you want to communicate; and, 3) the essence of your product/service or business. Additionally, it should appeal to your client base and coordinate with the color palette of your advertising. Unless your business is trendy, it’s usually best to avoid trends when choosing the look of your logo. Depending on the media you chose, you may also want to consider motion and sound accompaniment. There are other essential aspects to consider but these are some of the basics. Because of the important, complex and relatively permanent design considerations a logo presents, I recommend working with a professional – at the very least, to give your design the once over. Further, make sure it isn't already in use. There are trademark registration requirements on both the state and federal levels. Graphic searches can be complicated, and final determinations must be made through the registering body. It pays to seek expert advice in this quest. To gain a cursory understanding of this complex process, you can find information through the United States Patent and Trademark Office: http://uspto.gov |
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Q. How important is repetition in an advertisement. It seems like it's used a lot, but I don’t want to offend my customers or seem pushy. A. Repetition is Important. With all the colors and messages we’re hit with in any given minute at a retail store, or even when sorting our mail, we are very distracted and, in some cases, impatient people. This is why we tend to gloss over text – unless we are actively looking for information. When sending a short, general message where you don’t have room or time to explain your product or service at length, you must be astute in sufficiently communicating the essence of your message. A good rule of thumb is to communicate the key points of your message three times. However vary each one subtly so they do not seem trite, forced or aggressive. Speaking of aggressive, there's currently a spot on television advertising a headache remedy. This ad repeats its core message three times – but says nothing else. It is, literally, the same message containing the same half-dozen or so words repeated three times in rapid succession, using the same exact inflection of tone. It would be horribly obnoxious except that I find it delightfully ironic, and consequently, pitifully amusing. By the end of the ad I actually have a head-ache. But, "ahh, Grasshoppah", maybe this is all part of the strategy. If someone doesn't have a headache when the ad comes on, they might after watching it, and – bingo – guess what name pops into their head. This company annoys me so much, I refuse to ever buy their product. A better way to go, in my opinion, is to drive your message home without mowing down the recipient. You can artfully vary your message a little each time without really changing its meaning. For example: "Stop in today!", "Hurry, this sale ends Friday!", or, "These prices won't last!" are three ways of saying essentially the same thing. Of course, it's best to scatter these throughout other copy, so you don't perpetuate the same annoying tactic as mentioned above – and incidentally… in case you hadn't noticed, just one exclamation mark goes a long way.
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AIMS |
Consistency matters! How many repeat exposures to an ad would you guess it takes the average consumer to readily remember it? We'll have the answer in the next issue! Answer to the April edition's question: All True! |
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The Native Wave - July 2006 Edition © Lisa Bracken, 2006. All rights reserved.
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