Ideas, insights, and strategy for solopreneurs and founder-led brands looking to grow with intention.
Paid, earned, shared, and owned media make up the core mix of modern brand marketing. When these four channels work together, they create visibility, credibility, and long-term growth—helping small businesses and solopreneurs build stronger brands.
Want to know all the ways we can work together? From quick-start strategy sessions and in-depth research to ongoing advising, design, and free resources, here are seven ways we can help you build a smarter, more referable brand.
Rolex and Kodak may seem worlds apart, but both names were deliberately invented to sound distinctive, memorable, and universally pronounceable. Their shared philosophy shows that a name doesn’t need a definition to be powerful; it needs clarity, simplicity, and room to grow into meaning. The right name can shape perception, spark emotion, and build lasting brand identity.
Redesigning your website or marketing materials might seem like the fix for slow sales or outdated visuals—but if your brand strategy is unclear, even the best-looking materials will fall flat. When brand positioning, strategy, and design are out of sync, your marketing won’t deliver results. Aligning your message, visuals, and marketing approach creates a strong foundation that helps your website and collateral attract and convert the right audience.
Pricing communicates more than cost—it signals value, shapes perception, and positions your brand in the marketplace. Whether it’s Evian vs. store-brand water or a consultant who’s “not cheap but worth it,” pricing influences how others talk about you. A strategic approach to pricing can elevate your brand, attract the right clients, and reinforce your reputation.
Referral marketing is a powerful strategy for small businesses, using personal recommendations to build trust, attract new customers, and foster loyalty—all while keeping costs low. It reflects the quality of your business and the trust it inspires, turning happy customers into enthusiastic advocates
The fear factor in marketing takes center stage. But is using scare tactics really the best strategy for building a brand? While fear can grab attention in the short term, it often leads to distrust and alienation among consumers. Brands that prioritize genuine connections and positive messaging are more likely to foster loyalty and long-lasting relationships.
Marketing and branding have important roles in attracting customers and encouraging their loyalty. While marketing uses data to understand customer desires and drive actions, branding leverages creativity to forge deeper emotional connections. A strong brand also provides the foundation for effective marketing strategies and tactics.
Influencing the “buy” decision is both an art and a science. It requires a deep understanding of your audience, a clear articulation of your value proposition, and a strategic mix of marketing tactics that resonate with your target market.
The “Start, Stop, Continue” method is not just an exercise in reflection; it’s a strategic tool for transformation. By methodically evaluating your past year’s efforts and planning for the future, your business is well-positioned to enter the new year with a revitalized, more effective branding and marketing strategy.
Showing gratitude enhances customer loyalty, brand differentiation, and employee morale, fostering long-term success and ethical practices.
Have you ever felt an inexplicable connection with a brand? It might not just be about their product or service but the emotions they evoke in you.
A strong logo creates a vital first impression, reflecting your company’s values and building trust. A poor logo can turn customers towards competitors. Ensure your logo embodies these ten crucial elements, whether evaluating an existing one or designing for a new business.
Hit the ground running in the new year with a marketing action plan. If you want to succeed in 2024, you need to start thinking about it months ahead. These 9 action items will set you up for success.
People build emotional ties to the brands they love and use every day. When you change a brand’s visual identity, you change its face. If you change it too much, loyal users will feel as if they are looking at a stranger.
Color evokes emotional responses and creates associations that customers will connect to a brand. The colors of your brand communicate a lot.
As a business owner, it’s crucial to evaluate and update your brand periodically to stay relevant. Changes within your business directly impact its brand, and regular assessment ensures alignment with your evolving objectives and target audience.
A company’s identity extends beyond its visual representation, known as corporate identity, which contributes to brand recognition but represents only a fraction of the overall brand. The true essence of a brand lies in its intangible qualities.
While social media platforms provide tactical tools, they are just a part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. By expanding your tactics arsenal beyond social media, such as leveraging email newsletters, advertising, and engaging in speaking opportunities, you can connect with a broader audience. However, the key lies in adopting a strategic approach.
Move beyond visual elements and empower your employees to make on-brand decisions and become passionate brand advocates, creating a cohesive and authentic brand presence that resonates with customers and fosters long-term relationships. Brand alignment drives business success.
Launching a startup brand is an exciting and challenging journey. However, to ensure your brand’s success, it’s important to avoid common pitfalls. Here is a “To DON’T List for Startup Brands” to guide you in building a strong brand.
If you think bold, memorable branding is only available to big...
Advertising and promotion are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct purposes and roles in the marketing mix. By understanding the objectives and benefits of each approach, marketers can make informed decisions to reach their target audience and achieve desired outcomes.
As we approach the halfway point of the year, now is the perfect time to take a step back and evaluate the effectiveness of your brand and marketing strategy. It’s a good idea to do a mid-year checkup to ensure you’re on track to meet your goals and make any necessary adjustments before it’s too late.
The right pricing strategy is crucial to the success of your brand. It should align with your brand’s values and positioning, and can create a loyal customer base, increase sales, and boost revenue. On the other hand, the wrong pricing can damage your brand’s reputation, decrease sales, and drive customers away.
A company’s brand is its most valuable asset. Rebranding can provide significant benefits if done correctly. A brand overhaul can improve brand recognition, enhance customer engagement, and help a company stay relevant in a constantly evolving market.
Even after 40 years (or 60 in the case of the original P’s), the Marketing Mix is still very much applicable to a marketer’s day to day work. A good marketer will learn to adapt the theory to fit modern times and their own business model.
Like any specialty, marketing has a language of its own. Recognizing some important terms and dropping them into conversations when talking to your marketing consultant would help us solve your business challenges.
Your website is a reflection of your business, the value you offer your prospects, and what it’s going to be like working with you.
It took just ten minutes to update my DNS settings, and almost two weeks to fix the problem I created. This article is a cautionary tale of letting better get in the way of good enough.
Rather than stopping all of your marketing, consider instead changing your strategy. Instead of selling, inform. Instead of daily email blasts, send emails weekly (or monthly). Instead of doing the same thing you’ve always done, pivot to something different. Here are some specific ideas for this difficult time.
Effective brand naming isn’t emotional or political—it’s strategic. It should align with your positioning, resonate with your audience, and be memorable enough to stand on its own. More than a trivial detail, a name plays a critical role in shaping perception, signaling value, and reinforcing your brand’s promise. A weak or confusing name can dilute impact and force your brand to work harder to stay top of mind. Ultimately, naming is both a creative and disciplined process that deserves as much attention as any other aspect of branding.
Your website isn’t converting. The social media advertising doesn’t bring in as many leads as you hoped. The direct mail campaign was a waste of paper. Your emails don’t get opened. And none of it is bringing in any new business. Sounds familiar right?
Marketing isn’t just one thing—it’s a diverse ecosystem of strategies that have evolved with technology, consumer behavior, and media platforms. This comprehensive guide explores over 40 distinct types of marketing, from traditional advertising and inbound content to emerging methods like voice, experiential, and neuromarketing. It emphasizes that there’s no single best approach—businesses should choose the right mix based on their audience, goals, and resources. Ultimately, understanding these categories helps brands become more strategic, creative, and effective in how they engage and convert their audiences.
I attend a fair amount of networking events every month. As an...
Most business owners have an idea of what they want their company to look like. However, their employees can’t necessarily see that same vision for what the future can be. If you are struggling with writing a clear mission statement and vision statement, then you should try to write a Vivid Vision first.