In the world of business, we toss around words like marketing, messaging and branding with wild abandon. We talk about how we need a clear brand message or marketing strategy… but do we really know what that means? Do we know what goes into creating an effective brand that moves our business forward? And how do we make sure we’re going deeper than just tossing around marketing buzz words?
Maria Ross is the founder and chief strategist of Red Slice, a branding and marketing consultancy based in Seattle. In my longest podcast yet (stay with me; there’s a chance to win one of two books at the end! Plus, Maria offers great insights all the way to the finish line), we talk about:
- Making promises you know you can keep
- The 3 C’s of thinking through your brand strategy
- Lessons from Virgin America
- The biggest marketing mistakes people make (and how to avoid them)
- Dealing with “niche resistance”
- How to know when it’s time to move from DIY to hiring the (right) expert
Two special offers are mentioned at the end of the podcast… we’d love to be mailing YOU one of two free books!
Listen Now:
Thank you Beth and Maria for delivering me some happiness 🙂 I really enjoyed the interview. I especially appreciated the bit about the bullseye and the target and how "ideal customer" does not equal "the only person you're allowed to sell to." While I kinda sorta understood the concept before, this made it crystal clear to me. Awesome.
Oh…and Beth…
I really like your idea about the deliver me some happiness contest.
(Of course – you know I'm not the type of person who would look for loopholes or anything…)
HA! Patty, nothing gets past you!! I should have stated "Second unique entry" or "One winner per household" (before you go grab Joe and have him comment 😉 )
I'll have your book at the blogging workshop on Monday!
And thanks for your thoughtful comment. The idea of the bullseye and target IS really liberating… I hope it brings some relief to anyone who is in the process of identifying a niche.
Deliver me some happiness! This interview gave me some insight into where I can tweak my branding strategy. The Ideal Customer Profile is a priceless exercise, I took notes! Thank you both!
Nicole, you're gonna get some happiness! I'm so glad that you found value (priceless, even!) in the information. Love it when that happens 😉
Drop me an e-mail with your snail mail address and your copy of "Branding Basics for Small Business" will be on its way ASAP!
Thanks!
Nicole, I should have given you my e-mail: beth@bethbuelow.com
My "submit" click happened before my brain could say "hey, wait a minute!" 🙂