At Glue, we like to help our clients strengthen their marketing strategy by having them create a Talking Logo and a Core Message. These are two very vital pieces of the Duct Tape Marketing system and, really, are all about really knowing your business. They stem from a Marketing Purpose Statement – your business’ reason for existence and vision for success. So, what’s the difference between a Talking Logo and a Core Message?
All about the Talking Logo
Let’s think about logos for a minute. You see hundreds of them every day. They’re instantly-recognizable, uncomplicated combinations of words and imagery that represent a business or brand. Like a traditional logo, your Talking Logo should identify and represent your business just as quickly and comprehensively.
Talking Logos are also known as “elevator pitches” and you know what these are – descriptions of what you do that are just long enough to dazzle the corporate guru you’re riding the elevator with. Talking Logos should be concise, snappy and interesting. A great Talking Logo will encourage the other person to say, “That’s so interesting; tell me more!”
Examples of bad Talking Logos:
- “I’m an IT guy.”
- “I design mattress and boxspring configurations.”
Examples of good Talking Logos:
- “I save businesses from renegade computer software.”
- “I make sure every person in town has a good night’s sleep.”
See how the second ones are more intriguing than the first? Get creative – what can you say about your business that will make people want to know more?
All About the Core Message
Now that you’ve designed your Talking Logo, the Core Message is next. It’s like a slogan for your business. It immediately communicates the benefits of doing business with you. Take a look at slogans of well-known companies and think about how they communicate the benefits of those companies. Most often, they’re catchy. Let’s use the two examples above and create Core Messages for them.
- IT company: “Your IT Superhero”
- Mattress design company: “We won’t rest until you do.”
It’s okay if your Core Message is a little cheesy. The most important thing is that it quickly and effectively communicates what you do, and why it’s great to do business with you.
Tags: Calgary Marketing, core message, fiona friesen, GlueEd, marketing ideas, marketing strategy, talking logo
If you’re reading this blog, it means you have an active interest your business’ marketing. Even if marketing scares you a little, you probably know a few things about it – the importance of branding being one.
Branding is, essentially, a name or design that represents your business in the mind of your current and potential clients. It can also extend to your business’ external culture and way of acting. A good marketing strategy keeps branding on a short leash, making sure all decisions align with the business’ brand.
But what about your personal brand?
If you’ve done branding work in your business, it’s probably been focused on the company. But what about you? What is your own personal brand as the person in charge of that company? If this is the first time you’ve thought of it, you’re not alone. Even though strong personal brands can co-exist with strong corporate brands (Think Steve Jobs and Apple, or Richard Branson and Virgin), many people ignore personal branding when crafting their marketing strategy.
Today in the world of Twitter, we came across a link to a great article about personal branding in Rohit Bhargava’s Influential Marketing Blog. The blog post is titled, “Why Personal Branding is so Misunderstood.” Here’s an excerpt:
Is personal branding becoming a catchphrase to describe those who are using social media as a drip pan for their overflowing egos or is it just misunderstood? As someone who has spent considerable time building a personal brand while working at a large company, this is a question I have struggled with before and I believe it comes through to three main assumptions.
He then goes on to examine three fictions and three truths around personal branding. Go check it out, whether you’ve considered your own personal branding or not.
Have you incorporated personal branding into your business’ marketing strategy? What are your thoughts?
Tags: branding, marketing ideas, marketing strategy, personal branding
