Brand & Grow Your Business
Marcella (Marcy) Shinder is Vice President of Brand Strategy & Marketing at American Express OPEN. Since joining the OPEN team, she has spearheaded a number of initiatives, including OPENforum.com. She has been covered broadly by the media with feature articles recently running in B2B Magazine, Pink Magazine and New York Times. Here she discusses the importance of building a brand in order to grow your business.
Q: What are the 3 most important decisions in setting a brand strategy?
A: First, define what’s unique about you and your product. Second, assign a vision for yourself and your product for projecting your brand. What does this mean? It means be visceral, human and emotional. Establish a vision that connects feelings to you and your brand. Third, plan a “visual system“ that consistently gives a look and feel to everything that represents your business.
|
|
Q: If someone is new to branding, what’s important? A: If this is your first time building a brand, there are some simple fundamentals that help you focus on your business identity:
|
|
|
Q: Why spend on a brand in a tight economy? A: A brand can work for you to help build the business. Now, is the time to consistently represent your business and invest in marketing to grow reputation, create leads and generate sales. You must consistently represent and invest in your brand identity to be a premium brand. Premium brands grow. |
|
|
Q: How is brand a lever for success for a small business. A: Brand is your credibility. It gives you the right to ask people for the business. If a business is big, it means it has succeeded in many areas and you see that the company has built a brand. |
|
|
Q: We are a visual society. What does that mean to branding? A: Around the world people respond to design. A visual feel reflects who you are and how you position yourself. People react to you emotionally and rationally. If I was going to recommend marketing to you, I would say invest in branding because it’s the picture of who you are as a company. |
|
|
Q: Why is it important to reach out for feedback and advice? A: Sometimes it’s tough to hear feedback as a mentee. But, when it comes to asking for client feedback or a mentor’s advice–what separates those who are very successful from the sort of successful is a willingness to ask and really listen. I spend 25 percent of my time listening to clients to be sure the visual brand and brand experience meet client needs. |
Leave a Reply