Archive for the ‘Branding’ Category

Book review: The Brand Gap

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Marty Neumeier’s The Brand Gap is a quick read that leaves you with a lot. Neumeier left behind prose for this one and presents his ideas in a presentational “white board” format. Once you’ve flipped through, you’ve learned what a brand really is and how to create an effective one.
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Eating your own dog food

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Dog FoodIf you think about the way certain people within your company work, you’ll realize that it’s easy for employees to be removed from customers and even their companies’ own products and services. In a lot of cases, I think the most removed people are in marketing, IT, and senior management.

While it’s not realistic to close the entire gap on this problem, I envision a new work environment where as many people as possible will be forced to eat their own dog food. What if you set up your business to make it a customer of its own products and services? Let’s think about it a little.

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Creating a logo

Monday, December 31st, 2007

I complained earlier that I had no branding on my blog, which is still true. But the big hold-up was in my getting off my ass and choosing a logo. Guess what… it’s finally done!

Clear Crystal Media Logo

I spent a lot of time deciding on which of my doodlings to use for a logo. Let me explain how you should always approach this kind of decision for your company. Read the rest of this entry »

My blog’s lack of brand

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

Right now, I feel like the barber with a bad haircut. I’m giving tips about Internet Marketing, yet I’m using a blog with the default WordPress theme.

I wouldn’t be surprised if people think that I’m a spammer.

Sure, I’ve got my reasons for appearing so slavish. I’m busy doing work for clients. But for you as a visitor, you don’t care. Do I want to be the guy who’s too busy to have a nice blog, or do I want to be the guy that goes the extra mile?

Let this be a lesson: your blog’s personality is very important. Right now, my blog makes me look like a used car salesman.