Let me preface this by saying: this blog post is not meant to discourage you.  Everyone who knows me, knows I love a dreamer.  I believe everyone should have a dream and chase after them with reckless abandon. For me, this is the essence of a great life – dreaming big and chasing after those dreams.  The problem with dreaming big is that we eventually have to turn those dreams into reality.  And this is where it breaks down for most people.

I’ve seen it (and experienced it) many times before.  We leave the brainstorming session, the dream conversations and plans. Our adrenaline is pumping, ideas are flowing, we are ready to take on the world and live out our dreams.  We finally get home, sit down at our desk, couch or dining room table and start thinking “how in the heck am I going to do this??”  Dreaming big is GREAT.  But putting together a plan and implementing the dream is what often trips us up.  The key to having a big dream is to be willing to start small.

Taking on too much, too fast is the quickest way to run into paralysis when time for implementation. The dream is sooo big, we don’t know where to start.  We let the plans sit on our desk, or worse – in our heads.  The dreams never turn into action  Below are three ways that we can effectively dream big, specifically when looking at marketing and branding plans:

1.) Just Start.  I have seen it over and over again: we overthink our start.  We want everything to be just perfect when we begin. The colors, the logo, the tagline, the website, the business plan.  I’m here to tell you, and even rock your world a bit:  Don’t worry about perfection.  It has been said: “Perfection is the enemy of good.”  Some things will need to be “near” perfect or good enough, and that’s okay.  Discover which things are fine to be “good enough” and keep it moving.  You can correct and fix as you grow and learn.  And … you WILL grow and learn so much after your first year or two or three in business. Things will inevitably change; you will learn more about yourtarget audience, your brand, your packaging, etc.  Therefore, indeed strive for excellence, but don’t sweat the small stuff.  Just get started.

2.) Start small.  Yes, dream BIG.  I mean it.  Go for it and go for whatever God has called you to do. But start small.  Start with one piece of your big, audacious dream.  Your goal should always be progress.  Get moving and stay moving. The bigness and magnificence of your dream will come in time. Momentum is powerful, therefore starting small is also about creating momentum and great energy as you pursue your dream.  It will allow you to work out any kinks in your plan and quickly course correct and rework the plan or vision.  It’s much easier to scrap or rework a small plan than a big one.  So don’t feel embarrassed or inadequate about starting small.  Small plans quickly turn into big dreams.

3.) Write it Down. You may have it in your head, but it also needs to be on paper. Not just buried in a random notebook in the back of your car, but always before you, within reach. There is immense power in writing down your goals and dreams.  It is one more step toward making it a reality and watching it cometo life.  Write it down with as much detail as possible.  And read it often.  This is another version of practicing affirmations.  You are watching, writing and speaking it into life. Keep the dream before you.

All these steps are essential whenworking on your marketing and branding plans. Marketing and branding can be overwhelming. There are so many aspects, strategies and tactics involved.  However, the goal is to just get started.  Put the dream in motion.

Do you have a big dream?  Have you gotten started? What’s stopping you?  The moment of perfect timing or finances, or whatever it is, may never come.  Start now.  Start small. Get going!

If you need assistance with developing the first steps with your marketing or branding plans, contact me for Get Started session.

Trust is a big deal.  We know this is true in friendships and with our love interests, however it is equally true with our brand and our business. We often focus on creating a nice product to sell or doing great work for our customers or clients.  This is good and absolutely necessary. Everyone wants good service and a product that will do what we need it to do.  That is the basics if we have a business.  What is monumentally important is if we are creating raving fans.  Just like sports teams have loyal fans that will cheer them on and tell others about them, do we also have this with our brand.  Do you create loyalty and trust among our clients and customers?

Why Trust?

The world is full of talented people. People who write or speak better than you. People who create that product better than you.  People who can do whatever you do… better than you. So what make someone choose you over another business, service or organization.  Sometimes its price or convenience, but often it comes back around to trust.  People want to trust the people around them.

Building Trust 

Thought Leadership

One way we are able to build trust is to demonstrate that you know your stuff.  Do you know what you are talking about?  Do you know your industry and the things that are important to your industry?  If you know it, then its important to show that you know it.  This is content marketing – becoming a thought leader in your industry or community.  Are you consistently producing or promoting content? In order to build trust and expertise, share your knowledge with your audience by platforms such as: blogging, podcasts, videos, posting, etc.  Content is still king and helps build trust with your audience.

Fix it Quick

How quickly you address issues and deal with problems will either build or diminish trust with your audience. We’ve seen it with various large brands in crisis (Subway, United Airlines, Samsung, etc.) How quickly do they address their public relations crisis? How quickly do you address conflicts or complaints within or about your company or organization?  Have you ever completed a survey or client feedback form and provided negative feedback, yet no one called you to address it?  Trust diminished. When you demonstrate that you are open to dealing with problems, it show your authenticity, which builds trust.  Even if it is a problem that you created. Deal with it head on and watch your clients/customers trust in your brand rise.

Focused

Trust also comes when a client sees that you are focused.  We have all heard the term: “Jack of all trades, master of none.”  As a brand owner, your job is to always show yourself as a master.  Being too spread out with your expertise, products or services dilutes your brand and ultimately the trust a client has for you.  We have all had this sentiment when we walk into a business that says its an expert at one thing, and then you also see them promoting something in a completely different industry.  For example, you walk into an Italian restaurant for a good plate of spaghetti and then you discover they are also selling Chinese food. It is unlikely they are doing both well. Master your trade and stay focused on what you are truly providing your clients.

These are just three simple ways to build trust. There are many other ways that you can build trust for your brand.  The first step is realizing that trust matters in marketing and branding.  It is the key to developing business and creating loyalty with your audience.

If you need any assistance with building trust with your key audience, feel free to reach out to me at lee@ashbyandatts.com I will also offer a webinar on this topic in May.  If you would like to join the webinar, please email me to be added to the invitation list.

How is your brand? So many organizations, individuals and companies do things each day the prevent them from having a STRONG brand. Listen to my podcast to hear of 6 ways brands dilute their images.

Click here to listen to my podcast.

There are many purposes for a website, from branding your business to selling your product.  Ultimately, one the primary things your website should do for your business is generate leads.

1. Your Contact Info:  Your contact information should be throughout your website. Make it easy for people to contact you, either via email or phone.
2. Create a landing page:  A landing page gives your visitors somewhere to “land” when they have an interest regarding something on your website.  It may be a white paper, an event, anything that will lead them to a lead generation form.  This will also help you get an idea about what is effective on your website or selling well in your company.
3. Nurture your leads: Place leads into a workflow once they fill out a form on your landing page so they don’t forget about you, and deliver them valuable content that matches their interests.
4. Talk to Your Audience:  Videos are a great way to tell your clients what is going on with your product or services.  It helps establish credibility and promotes your brand promise. Videos are extremely effective, they attract 300% more traffic and nurtures leads.
5. Add testimonials:  Testimonials add a reference for people to see and establishes credibility.
6. Make sure you have a call to action:  What do you want a visitor to your website to do? Call you? Email you? Schedule a meeting? Order your book? Register for a conference? Whatever you want to ultimately happen when someone visits your website, you must create a path for them to do that.
7. Be careful on the homepage: Some websites put all the weight on the homepage. Make your homepage simple, yet still communicates your brand.  Give people a reason to use your navigation and discover your website.
8. Don’t forget to blog: Blogging is effective for generating leads. It is content that establishes trust, and it also helps increase organic searches if you incorporate the right language.  You should also create call to actions for your various blog posts.
9. Watch your words:  Be sure to use words and phrases that you know your audience is searching for on the internet.   This will increase the likelihood that you will be discovered during a web search.
10. Quizzes and Assessments:  This is a great way to generate leads and obtain new email addresses for your mailing list.
    If you need assistance with strategies on how to generate leads, please schedule a complimentary 15 minute consultation with me.

I often hear people use the words “marketing” and “branding” interchangeably, but it is important to know the difference when attempting to raise the profile for your organization, company or your personal brand.

It is interesting, often my individual/solopreneur clients are eager to jump to branding and want to stop there.  My company, church or organization clients want to jump into marketing and will often ignore or skip over branding.

Steve Forbes says: “Branding is the single most important investment you can make in your business.” Branding is critical.

Both marketing and branding are absolutely necessary to move a vision or business forward. Before marketing begins, there must be a brand.  If you are unclear of who you are, why you or your company exists or is different than the company down the street, then you probably need help with your brand.

Why Begin with Branding?

Branding is your promise.  It creates loyalty.  It will be what remains long after the marketing initiative or idea has gone.  This is why branding is critically important.

As I’ve stated in previous blogs and podcasts, branding more than about consistently using your logo, or personal branding – making sure you consistently look great. Branding communicates your values, your character, your credibility. Without it, you cannot effectively do marketing.

Wait…You Still Need Marketing 

Marketing is still important. You can have the best story, the best brand, but no one may know about it. Marketing walks out your brand. It tells the world you exist and why they should visit you. It gives your brand a voice.

However, marketing is very tactical. It involves processes, procedures and normally a system to make sure the brand is communicated effectively.  A brand is all about strategy and carefully putting things together to make sure the brand is communicated accurately.

One of my favorite quotes is “Branding is the being.  Marketing is the doing.” However, be sure that before you get to the doing and the activity, you spend a good amount of time with being… your branding.

If you need assistance with branding or marketing, feel free to reach out to Lee at ashby & watts consulting. 678-806-6266 or lee@ashbyandwatts.com

Be sure to check out my latest podcast — Branding – Give Them Something to Feel. Click here to listen – http://tobtr.com/s/8247843 Often we love to discuss branding, but overlook the emotional aspects of branding. This short podcast will talk about the importance of it and how to begin using it. Be sure to find me on facebook and follow me on Periscope and Twitter (@lywatts) Stay warm! ‪#‎branding‬ ‪#‎marketing‬ ‪#‎ashbyandwatts‬‪ #‎connectingthedots‬

Love him or hate him – we can learn a few marketing lessons from Donald Trump’s political campaign. No one took him seriously when he first began his campaign, but we are now slowing down and taking a look at his strategy. Listen to my latest podcast on Marketing Lessons from the Trump Campaign. Click here to listen.