Farewell, my Ring Leader

Think back over your career or personal life. Is there someone in your life that gave you a bit of advice, a nudge in the right direction or the encouragement to be who you became? Even if it was 10 or 20 years ago ... have you thanked them?

Sixteen years ago, I worked for the government. At home, I was in a miserable, abusive relationship. I was a 22 year old "wunder kind" at work but otherwise, a misdirected, mixed up and lost little girl. I met Gigi then, we became instant friends, and she became my big sister, dear friend, confidante and "Ring Leader". Under her wing, I eventually got out of the evil relationship (a moment she marked by giving me one of her favorite amethyst and diamond rings, which I'm wearing right now). She introduced me to computer graphics and egged me on (we thought we were pretty cool because we knew how to work the pen plotter. LOL). She taught me that everyone ought to "run off and join the circus at least once in their life." When I left government, she was the ONE person who didn't say "Oh, god, how will you survive without benefits and a pay check?" She taught me everything I know about relational database design and we plotted ways to use our brains to take over the world and survive being a state worker.

And, oh, the laughs we had!

Gigi had a little boy and was a single mom. Her world revolved around her son, but her love he generously shared with me. She was a snazzy lady - an abundant woman who reveled in clothes, finger nails and her jewels! So much of who I am, I am because of her influence and I respected and loved her back with all my heart.

Yes, this is "past tense;" you're reading me right. I often thought that no matter what, Gigi's heart and spirit was the largest part of her and last Saturday, at the young, young age of 58, that enormous heart collapsed and her spirit was set free. Stunned, I am comforted by the knowledge that she knew how I felt. And now she's got a bird's eye view of what mischief her protege is into now :)

In the course of notifying people who shared my respect for Gigi, I also had a chance to speak with people who shaped my early life. The man who got me all the cool hardware and software that I cut my teeth on long ago. Another, I'll never forget, the man who said "you gotta see this!" and showed me the World Wide Web, back in 1995. Today, I had a chance to speak to the man that Gigi introduced me to, who gave me the incentive to change my life.

Gigi, thank you for introducing me to all three. What fun to be able to now say "THANKS. See what you started??"

With all this introversion, plenty of work on my plate, and the memorial this week, I've been a little scarce on this blog but I hope you understand why. As I muse about Gigi, and wish her spirit a peaceful respite from the world, I can't help but wish I had one last chance to hear her voice. Don't miss your chance... we all have these pivotal people in our pasts, don't we?

Packaging Your Brand for Success

When most people hear the word “brand” they immediately think “logos” - but in fact, branding is so much more than that. A brand involves blending the image, purpose, and focus of your business, with your core marketing message, and coming up with something which will stick in the minds of people who encounter it. It is who you are and what you do, packaged neatly, clearly, and memorably. A logo is only one element that works to reinforce a brand. In a moment, we’ll talk about another tangible way to package your brand and make your brand memorable.

Practically any business or professional can benefit from a strong brand. But branding is even more important for micro businesses and competitive ecommerce businesses, because they face tighter competition and have to work harder to be seen and recalled. A well executed brand and identity can help them compete on a larger playing field, appear more professional, and stand out from the hordes of competitors.

Once you know how you want to be remembered, your image and your message needs to communicate that. The image can simply be a consistent look used in all your correspondence, a logo that marks everything that comes from your business, and the identity you use on your web site and brochure. The message can be a tag line, your 30 second "elevator speech," and woven through the content on your web site.

A logo is only one manifestation of brand identity, used to create a memorable impression, but it is useless if you have not clearly defined your audience and the focus of your business. In fact, a logo isn’t even a requirement of a brand as there are plenty of clearly branded businesses using only consistent fonts or colors in their marketing collateral.

Every concept has a color and every color represents certain feelings and emotions. For example:

• Blue can be conservative, healing, soothing
• Brown can be traditional, conservative
• Yellow is celebratory, happy and alert
• Purple is regal, mysterious and spiritual
• Red is exciting and attention getting

Using color can be a powerful way to brand because with just a glance, your customers will be reminded of your business. The human memory is symbolic and abstract – in fact, memory experts often advise connecting a color, feeling or even song with something, in order to trigger a recall. As a business owner, you can take advantage of color psychology to choose the color to evoke the feeling you want – and then reinforce that color as part of your brand. This brings me to the new idea I want to share with you for branding your business!

If you’re in the type of business that sends products to your customers, you are familiar with packaging. Clear tape… brown Kraft paper… Bubble Wrap… YAWN. When your product arrives, people first look to see who sent it – read the label – and then tear it to get what’s inside. It’s job over, the packaging goes in the trash. And your brand – that probably went right over their head. If this is how YOU package things, you might be missing an incredible opportunity to build your brand!

Say you have branded your business around the color blue. You’re sending out your product to a customer wrapped in blue Bubble Wrap, with a big blue bow. With your label on the outside and bright blue packaging, you’re sure to bring a smile to their face.

Or, you send someone a copy of your book, in a box sealed in bright red tape – wow – who ever would expect that in the mail? The next time they see the delivery man coming with a box like that – they’re going to know instantly know who sent it, aren’t they?

Maybe you have a small package to send to your best customers – a copy of your signed book or CD, or a few samples of your newest product. Instead of sending it in a plain bubble envelope, you could use one of the many sizes and colors of Bubble Wrap envelopes, and really get their attention!

Customers notice these little details, believe me! If you take the time to delight them with your packaging, they’re going to want to receive things more from you than if you sent everything in clear tape or brown boxes. It is those details that make the difference when they are thinking about where to buy from again, telling their friends about you and anticipating the delivery.

Another benefit you might not realize is this: say your customer decided to spend a large sum on a “non essential” product for themselves. Not as a gift, not as a business write off but just because they wanted to. And in the days prior to arrival, they might even be thinking “Yikes – what did I just do?!” But then when it arrives it comes looking like a gift, wrapped beautifully, splashed with color. How can they possibly feel anything but wonderful at that moment?

You could also take advantage of this up front – and tell people right in your literature or web site what they or their recipient can expect. Make it part of the stellar customer service, the extra mile, that you go.

That, right there, is what a positive brand is made of.

I’ll bet you’re thinking this is going to cost more than you want to spend on packaging. You would be surprised! Colored Bubble Wrap actually costs the same as plain. You can get tissue paper and packing tape in nearly every color imaginable. Obviously, the packaging is a necessity – if you ship products, you need packaging. Why not take advantage of this chance to stand out, brand your business and please your customer?

(c) Eileen Parzek, 2005

Eileen Parzek is an award winning graphic designer and writer providing digital and print graphic design and web design services. Always found at the intersection of information, creativity and technology, her business, Business Design Studio (www.businessdesignstudio.com) helps small businesses make a big impression, increase their reach and grow.

May be republished with full bio and credit link to http://www.businessdesignstudio.com