Marketing is complicated. There are a lot of moving parts. Sometimes, we wish we could just be blunt with the business owners we are trying to help and tell them the cold, hard truth without sounding like rude, demeaning, know-it-alls. So, in an effort to enlighten and not frighten, we give you our new blog series “You’ve Been Schooled!”. We hope it will help business owners understand marketing a little better and make better decisions with their marketing dollars. Today’s topic is branding and our expert is Kelsey Huber.
If I could vent about (ahem…educate) business owners on branding, I would ask this question:
Can Your Brand Pass the BLT? (Brand Litmus Test)
“There’s a mistake I see all the time in marketing messages, but fortunately, there’s an easy way to test for it. I call it the BLT or Brand Litmus Test:
Many brand messages talk about their benefits, services, and “differences”, but ultimately they’re not differentiating themselves at all. For instance, how many times do you hear about family-owned business, local company, or great customer service? If that’s what you’re hanging your hat on, you won’t pass the test. Try it. Simply take your ad, replace your name/logo with your competitor, and if all the information rings true, you’ve failed. You are saying the same thing your competition is saying and not giving any compelling reason for someone to choose your company over theirs. If you’re paying for an ad of any kind, don’t settle for just getting your name out there…make it mean something! Don’t waste the opportunity to tell someone something they didn’t already know about you. They’re your marketing dollars – use them wisely. Does your brand pass the BLT?”
Kelsey Huber – Director of Content Strategy
And there you have it. Think about this the next time you are creating an ad – digital, print, radio – it doesn’t matter. What does matter is standing out, differentiating yourself, and giving people a reason to choose you over the competition. What does your brand stand for? What is your brand message?
We hope this helps you in your quest to grow your business. Should you need marketing help with branding or anything else, please contact Lure Creative and we will be happy to share our insight and expertise (but not in a bossy, condescending way) to help your business Get Found and Be Known.
