Every blog has one. The first post. Where history is being made with each hesitant keystroke.
It starts with a vision, not a sense of obligation. If you're not excited about it, your blog will be like church on Easter. You'll use it for key events, but it won't get the consistent love necessary to reap any lasting benefits.
My vision for this blog is to share accounts and observations from Candid Brand Discoveries that will help empower you to craft an intentional brand for your business or organization. And I'm excited about it! I will also be drawing upon my years of experience as a brand manager to provide practical suggestions that you can put into place now to grow your brand. I promise I won't make you scroll through my entire life story before you find concrete, specific action items!
I have been the Marketing Director for Lenity Architecture, Rhodes Architecture and New Era Homes. I led each one through a Brand Discovery exercise before I joined the team because I wanted to hear what their clients and vendors had to say. For one of those, the internal perception of the brand idea (customer care) was out of alignment with the external perception (money saving efficiencies). This was the catalyst for a rebrand and new content strategy.
I can't talk enough about the value of having a huge wealth of quotes to pull from for content development, RFPs, proposals, firm resumes, grant applications, social media, etc.. After I moved into the marketing director role with these companies, I heavily relied on the Discovery Report to anchor our brand and content strategy. I used the quotes constantly, and there were pages of them, organized so that I could quickly find one that suited the context. I'll be showing examples of how I've used the quotes in marketing materials.
One of my questions is usually about referrals and repeat business. A side benefit that I can't guarantee, but it's happened, is that the call becomes a sales opportunity. With years of sales experience, I am perceptive to these opportunities and will harness the information you need to follow up. Even if new leads do not come out of the exercise, the process keeps you top of mind, and proves that you are invested in providing excellent service.
I hope you'll stick around!
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