1
Have you ever fallen in love with a brand? Not only for what it is, but for how it makes you feel. 2
How about what it represents to you as a customer? I’m going to show you some of my brand love affairs…and the 5 reasons why. >> Then we’ll talk about why that matters to you. 3
SONOS Who here has discovered the amazing world of SONOS? SONOS has completely disrupted the home audio world with wireless awesomeness. • The sound is incredible and it’s all on WiFi (they call it HiFi). • So no nasty wires. • A sound solution for every room that all works together, in the palm of your hand on your smart phone. Why do I love this brand? They know who their customer is…SONOS is mono- manically focussed on the customer experience. Whether you’re online shopping or need help with set-up, they focus exclusively on a customer who wants quality sound and wants to keep it simple with plug/play solutions. And it all works together. You can’t have just one SONOS speaker! Actually, there isn’t a corner of my house that doesn’t have sound. Speaking of working together, SONOS recently teamed up with my next brand love. 4
In August, IKEA will be launching SONOS speakers that are lamps and book ends I’m so excited about this collaboration, I gave it it’s own slide just so I could show you! 5
IKEA Now I know you likely have a love/hate relationship with this brand. Actually, putting anything-IKEA together can be quite a relationship test. That Allen key thing (?). But either way, what I love about this brand is how INNOVATIVE it is. Founded in Sweden in 1943, IKEA is a case study in innovating everything from a common chair to kitchen construction. And they’re now taking on products for smart homes, including furniture with wireless charging capabilities. And their online shopping experience is phenomenal, as is their app. Now, lord help you if you have to take something back, yet IKEA has even made a science of their return system. 6
AMAZON What did we do before Amazon? I love this brand because it makes is SO easy to be a consumer. AND it saves me time…and that’s precious. Now, Amazon may annihilate retail in the process, however, what this brand does best is it ADDS VALUE. For $79 a year, Amazon Prime gives you free 2-day shipping AND access to Prime Video – streaming video where ever you want it. They’ve taken on Netflix with exclusive, award-winning content. And whether you’re shopping or watching Amazon, their web and app functionality is off the charts. 7
NESPRESSO Why? They have a system, a button-down system that helps me form sentences in the morning…and it’s CONSISTENT. • Consistently great coffee from growing regions all over the world, and each type of coffee has a unique name and tells a story of where it came from. • And for choosing your coffee, Nespresso has a zero to 10 caffeine meter so you can dial in what it’s going to take. • They also offer a selection of sexy machines that deliver it. Speaking of delivery, your order can be at your door in 2 days thanks to an online ordering machine that’s intuitive and simple. And Nespresso listens. In the last couple of years, they responded to consumer kick- back on the effect millions of empty coffee pods were having on the environment with a global recycling program that composts the coffee grounds and recycles the aluminum. 8
(Oh, and when it comes to my brand love affair, it probably doesn’t hurt that that THIS GUY is their spokesperson…) 9
NIKE That iconic swoosh… You don’t have to be a golfer to know who this is…and over the last decade, we’ve all had a front-row seat to Tiger’s: • sex scandal • knee issues • back issues • …and in recent years, a DUI for pain-killers And NIKE stood by him. He was an endorsement machine…and every other sponsor dropped him…but not NIKE. 10
NIKE’s Brand Promise is: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.” • The asterisk states: If you have a body, you're an athlete. A very inclusive promise! 11
Why I love this brand is because NIKE not only makes a promise, they keep it. They align with inspiring athletes like Tiger, and they are loyal even in the darkest of times. And for that loyalty, NIKE was rewarded when he won this years Masters…his 5 th …but he had not won in 14 years. And despite everything, he worked hard, fought every obstacle like only Tiger can, and he took the green jacket back. One of the greatest sports comebacks in history. Ø Nike’s stock price rose 2% the day after the Masters adding $2B to their market value. Ø Consumers are rallying and the ripple effect on sales is already staggering. 12
Like I said, I love brands and I have worked with many, in varying industries, which has been like cross training for a marketer like me. I help build brands and develop brand strategies, AND I am a copywriter. Which, among my peers is a rare combination…kind of like a superpower, because it allows me to create and write very strategically. 13
And what’s crystal clear to me in the case of every brand I’ve worked with, and all brands for that matter, is that those 5 Brand Fundamentals remain the same…no matter what. TD is one of the top ranked, most respected brands in the world. • Especially where it counts – in the eyes of loyal customers. • And without question, TD nails every one of those 5 Brand Fundamentals. And while you all fly under the TD flag, you and/or your team are also a brand. Today, we’re going to get granular as it relates to YOUR personal or team brand within the TD brand. >> Betsy just did a great job of walking you through some excellent TD tools, templates and systems to help you market your brand. 14
But I’m going to challenge you and say your brand experience is not created by the TD marketing machine. • Your brand is what lives in the mind of your clients. • It tells them how you’re going to solve their problems. • It’s how you communicate in a relatable way that gives them HOPE and builds trust. • It’s what defines you in this very crowded financial marketplace. AND it makes a promise….and then your clients get to decide whether they believe you. Executed well and consistently, your brand experience is the golden ticket to building value and brand equity to the point that your clients become raving fans to everyone that will listen. As in that tangible, magic bullet we all strive for, but must earn… 15
REFERRALS Now when it comes to building your brand and referrals, there are people I’ve talked to within and outside TD that have challenged this point with me, and I’m going to respectfully challenge right back. I am talking about those that believe “our clients already love us, all our business is all referral based, and we’re maxed just servicing them.” First off, congratulations on your success. That said, in a world that’s moving at hyper-speed, in the age of social media, and with the power and influence vested in consumers, the bar on expectations has never been higher. And the silent killer of brands, all brands, from personal brands to multi-national corporate brands…the silent killer is… 16
COMPLACENCY Staying status-quo. Not continually uplevelling your brand and your brand experience in the eyes of your clients. Complacency breeds mediocrity, which leads to decline. Then not-so-happy clients that stop referring…and start wonder why they picked you in the first place. 17
“Success is a lousy teacher. It can seduce smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” – Bill Gates Actually, Bill said it way better. 18
And we all know brands that dramatically declined because they became complacent. Yes, these are big brands, and a couple of them are fighting back. Just know that your brand and/or your team brand, is also vulnerable to complacency. 19
And in the case of TD, you have the interesting added challenge of not only standing out in shades of green, you need to rise above the noise in a very crowded financial sector, competing with other banks and boutique investment firms. You either stand out, or you blend. 20
FACT: Obviously, your clients have choices. • And unless you create a brand experience that stands out, they will see you as a commodity in a sea of other options. FACT: If your marketing communications try to resonate with everyone, you will connect with no one. • Classic 80/20…80% of your business is coming from 20% of your clients. And therein lies the holy grail of your Ideal Client… we will get to that. FACT: You are in the knowledge-for-profit business, and you have a unique genius. • You are not selling things, you are selling how you think. • You all may have common skills, credentials and titles, but you each have the UNFAIR advantage of having a unique value or approach. • The corporate marketing term, and Betsy referred to it, is “unique value proposition”…I’d like to go deeper and call it your Unique Genius. • Because that differentiator…that special sauce, that process, formula, or hook…THAT is your unique genius. >> If you can articulate and effectively communicate THAT to your Ideal Client, you’re golden. 21
So how do you set yourself apart, stand out, build loyalty with current clients and attract new ones? How do you build your brand within the marketing framework of the TD brand? >> Let’s dig in to my top 4 strategies for where you want to focus. 22
Recommend
More recommend
