Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Entrepreneur Press (June 14, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 159918589X
ISBN-13: 978-1599185897
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #127,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #116 in Books > Business & Money > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Marketing #953 in Books > Business & Money > Marketing & Sales > Marketing #1102 in Books > Business & Money > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Entrepreneurship
This is overall a really good book. It’s got exactly what you need step-by-step to build a branding strategy.I really like the opening discussion of shifts in branding. For instance, I love the way she says a blog with 10,000 hits that targets your ideal audience is more useful than one with a million less targeted. And being on Oprah (or getting a big PR hit) just isn’t as big a deal anymore.I also like the way she breaks down the elements of your brand, noting that the brand’s visual elements are important but not enough. When branding or rebranding, you need the core elements, including Unique Brand Proposition, Signature Story, Signature Services and Energy. (However, I don’t think a signature story based on luck, fate or serendipity will be as powerful as one that shows you got there by your own hard-won effort.)Her discussion of social media is a little hasty; Pinterest is now being used more widely by small B2B companies. However, she emphasizes that you need to choose strategies you like; if you hate to blog, don't do it.Other gems include reference to the “blow dryer effect,” i.e., blow dryers were once a point of differentiation among hotels and now everybody has one, from Hampton Inns to Four Seasons. Her discussion of personal branding is really good as there’s lots of confusion there.The only flaw is that there aren’t enough examples and some topics get very short shrift. I’m not sure an ordinary person could go through these steps, especially identifying one’s own energy.Most business books are pretty lame puff pieces. This one does have substance. I’d recommend it for people who already know the basics and want some tools to work with their own marketing/branding clients, as well as those who have marketing coaches and want to accelerate their learning curve as well as get some perspective on their own success.
This is a relatively simple guide to help undertake a task that might not be as simple or clear as you may imagine, namely identifying, mapping and shaping your company’s brand.Here the author mixes together a range of practical advice, industry best practice and experience to help business owners proactively create their brand, rather than haphazardly accept whatever tends to turn up through the course of regular operations. Clearly the best results may be achieved by starting from the beginning and mapping out a brand strategy, although there is scope for existing brands to be strengthened and slightly modified if necessary by taking elements of the advice. It leads to a clear, easy-to-understand yet powerful range of guidance.Whilst the book is aimed clearly at senior executives, it still may be instructive for other employees to take at least a look and pick out some of the information on offer. It can enhance their existing knowledge and understanding of a key business element in general and the company’s eventual brand in particular. If you let it, the book will be a lot more than what it promises on its cover!It is a thoughtful, considered read that deserves at least one sequential consultation, even though you will inevitably be visiting it frequently as you work on your brand. It also encourages additional reading and external research – the world is literally your oyster. The price point for this book, when you consider what you get, is amazing too. A book, in other words, that should be strongly considered.
This is a brilliant easy to read and practical book all about how to develop a long term strategy for building your brand and brand recognition. The value in this book is found in the authors amazing transparency into both her personal life as well as business experience. She offers key insights based on real life experience. The book is divided into sections and is easy to skip around in or read straight through. The chapters are short making it an ideal coffee break read, etc. she is definitely uptodate on her marketing strategy and offers valued insight into how to target the people who will value your brand.
Instead of telling you about the contents of this book, I'm going to tell you why I love it. I've been self-employed since 1993 working from my home. I'm on my fourth business and getting ready to start another. I've read a bunch of marketing books, most of which made my eyes glaze over because either the text is nonhuman or the focus is on building a Fortune 500 company. I've found it very difficult to find a marketing book that addresses my needs as a sole proprietor with very little money.This book stands apart from all the others I've read. The book is segmented into three sections: 1. Design; 2. Build; and 3. Accelerate. Section 1 comprises the meat of the book and is extremely motivating because it helps me to determine who I really am, my motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. This is the first marketing book I've read where I was actually willing to sit down and take the time to go through the exercises. Every brand is, ultimately, the outgrowth of the vision and personality of a single person. (The brand is the vision of Jeff Bezos.) How can you know who your customers are if you don't know who you are?I have been debating with myself for years on how I should present myself and my business. As I read, my mind was spinning with ideas as the dross burned away from the gem that is me. I even cried with excitement and joy. More than once. This morning I know the direction I need to take. I just need to release the fear, and trust that I will draw to me the customers who are most in harmony with my vision.As I read sections 2 and 3, I began to lose interest as the writing morphed into market-speak. It's obvious that Leland is well versed in addressing the needs of future Fortune 500 companies (there's that glazed-over effect again). But I suspect that her heart is in helping people like me refine themselves and the gift they have to offer. I would happily pay the price just for section 1.
The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build, and Accelerate Your Brand Brand Strategy 101: Your Logo Is Irrelevant - The 3-Step Process to Build a Kick-Ass Brand (The 7 Steps to a Successful Business in a Changing Market) How to Launch a Brand (2nd Edition): Your Step-By-Step Guide to Crafting a Brand: From Positioning to Naming and Brand Identity How to Launch a Brand: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Brand: From Positioning to Naming and Brand Identity 3D Robotic Mapping: The Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Problem with Six Degrees of Freedom (Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics) Mapping Australia (Mapping the World (Gareth Stevens)) Mapping South America (Mapping the Continents) The Brand Called You: The Ultimate Brand-Building and Business Development Handbook to Transform Anyone into an Indispensable Personal Brand The Sales Development Playbook: Build Repeatable Pipeline and Accelerate Growth with Inside Sales The 1 Day Brand: Learn How To Build A Physical Product Brand In One Day Stand Out & Succeed: Discover Your Passion, Accelerate Your Career and Become Recession-Proof Designing Brand Experience: Creating Powerful Integrated Brand Solutions (Graphic Design/Interactive Media) The Ultimate Marketing Plan: Target Your Audience! Get Out Your Message! Build Your Brand! How to Have an Out-of-Body Experience: Transcend the Limits of Physical Form and Accelerate Your Spiritual Evolution Your Marketing Road Map: 5 Steps to Stop Overwhelm, Drive More Customers, and Accelerate Sales The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design The Year Before You Retire: Learn the 5 Easy Steps to Accelerate Your Journey to Retirement & Finally Live a Life of Freedom The No.1 Property Investing Tips From Top UK Property Experts: Their Best Kept Secrets You Need to Know to Accelerate Your Investing Success (Property Success Series) Retirement Planning | The Year Before You Retire - 5 Easy Steps to Accelerate Your Journey to an Early Retirement & Live a Life of Financial Freedom... Essentials of Administering Team Foundation Server 2015: Using TFS 2015 to accelerate your software development