8 Tips to Increase Your Brand Value

Here are 8 tips on what you can do to have an immediate impact on adding value to your brand:

1. Stay on top of your customer needs – Be “high touch” with your A-level customers, build solid relationships, and keep tabs on their problems.

Visit customers regularly not only when they need something, and attend network events are great ways to strengthen the relationship and expand your reach at the same time.

2. Be visible to your customers - Make sure they’re aware of your value continuously; try to remind them of your value strategically.

Offering an updated version of your product or tagging on a free service are good ways of letting your customer know you are constantly improving.

Convince your customer that your existence makes their lives easier, better, happier by providing them with information they value and care for.

3. Know your competition – Always be on the lookout for what others are doing out there.  Be ready to explain your value proposition versus your competitors’.

You must be able to provide the facts to back up your claims.

It will make you more competitive if you can level the playing field just like how all the restaurants are offering smaller portion meals in their own way.

4. Go the extra mile – Do things that are outside the scope of your business.   Go above and beyond your normal routine by solving their “other” problems.

This will help you stand out from the competition.

5. Reward loyalty – Similar to the rewards program, give your customer something more for sticking with you or using your products and services.

It could be a gift like a cup / tumbler, gift certificates or discounts for doing business with you in the future. You want to build a relationship that extends as long as possible so focus on customers life time value.

6. Try new ideas – If you’re in a highly commoditized market, you need to think about where you make your profits.  Most of times there is no point in competing on price or service alone.

Try new ideas like the “freemium model” where it may be worth it to give some of your products or services away for free and charge for value-adds or premium account later in exchange for maintaining the relationship.
 
7. Improve experience – The entire experience in doing business with your company should be present from start to finish.

Try to make every step as frictionless as possible and think from your customer’s perspective.

They should know that they can contact you with their concerns with the expectation that you will respond quickly and effectively.

This also creates great leverage for word-of-mouth marketing.

8. Include a human element – Many companies don’t focus enough on humanizing their brand.  As a result, customers can feel out of touch.

They need to feel like they are more than customers.

Logos, slogans, tag lines and websites are just references, they’re marketing vehicles.

Besides receiving your newsletters, brochures, emails and phone calls, allowing your customer to reach you in other engaging ways can help your company grow.

Everyday Greatness

Promising to produce and ship custom printed products within 24 hours of receiving a request may seem like a lofty aspiration. However, according to Pam Bilbrey and Brian Jones, co-authors of “Ordinary Greatness,” the prerequisite steps are surprisingly pedestrian in nature. What follows is a sampling of advice from Bilbrey and Jones—simple habits anyone can adopt, starting today, to make the transition from run-of-the mill to great:

1. Walk your talk. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. No one’s ever going to take you seriously otherwise.

2. If you make a promise, keep it. Elementary as this sounds, we all occasionally fall prey to making overly ambitious declarations (i.e., promising to deliver the big project a day sooner than you realistically can). Keep your promises manageable, and you’ll never disappoint.

3. Do sweat the small stuff. Tiny details can make a huge difference in how you’re perceived by others. For instance, remembering a client has a food allergy at a dinner meeting demonstrates your capacity for staying on top of small details.

4. Plan for the worst. No matter how well prepared you are, fate has a funny way of throwing a monkey wrench into things from time to time. Even if things go according to plan 99 percent of the time, it's that other 1 percent that can really get you into trouble. Let's say you're working on a big project with a tight deadline. Carefully think through any obstacles that might arise and lay the groundwork for solutions in advance. When trouble strikes, you'll be prepared and your work won't suffer—a true sign of greatness.

5. Always act as if someone is watching you. Whether at work or home, pretend you’re being evaluated 24-7. Acquiring good working habits and life skills are the natural consequence–and these traits will not go unnoticed by others.

48 hours

"There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Reggie Hammond"
It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since Eddie Murphy proclaimed his arrival in the movie 48 hours. If you don't remember (or were not born yet) the premise of the movie was this: Nick Nolte seeks the help of a prisoner, Eddie Murphy, to catch a criminal. They are given 48 hours to track down the drug dealers before Murphy must return to prison. It was the first of many "buddy action" movies of the 80's and 90's that included all of the Lethal Weapons and Beverly Hills Cops films.

Of course Nolte and Murphy book the bad guys and bag the ladies just under the deadline. However, the real world doesn't always work that way. 48 hours is not much time. How many quality projects can actually be completed in 48 hours? There aren't many.

If you find yourself 48 hours from an event deadline but you haven't finalized your marketing materials, never fear. CrunchTimePromotions.com was designed for this exact circumstance. Log in and browse thousands of quality promotional products and gift items with the easy to use searchable interface. Upload your logo file and complete the order process by choosing your shipping method using the custom UPS cost/time calculator. It can all be done in just a few clicks.

Your custom logo gifts print and ship in 1 business day. No extra charges and no hassles. You look like a hero at the meeting. There's a new service in town...and its name is Crunchtime promotions...So ya'll be cool...Right On!

Git-R-Done Marketing

Marketing departments across the spectrum are being downsized. Managers at all levels must now juggle multiple, and often conflicting, projects and priorities; master highly varied tasks; and successfully negotiate across departments. Meanwhile, the drumbeat of mergers and reorganizations—together with constantly morphing products and services—requires constant learning and adaptation.

Getting it done is the currency with the most value in today's lean and mean marketing departments. Larry the Cable Guy may replace Seth Godin as the guru most quoted by marketing pros. The landscape is shifting and productivity depends on key partners.

Take advantage of new and innovative services that are faster and more efficient than methods of the past. Print and product manufacturers have improved inventory control and print efficiency resulting in better service. Busy marketing professionals should not be satisfied with delivery of key marketing materials in 7-10 working days; a time frame many vendors consider "standard". Costly rush charges, too, are standard procedures that current conditions may allow you to avoid.

CrunchTime Promotions offers 24 hour production on hundreds of high-quality promotional products. Every product on the site is customizable with your logo and ships within 1 business day. There are no rush charges and the entire order process can be done online with just a few clicks. Save time and money while beoming more productive. I don't care who you are...that's good.

Fast Pass Promotions

One of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century was the Disney Fast Pass. OK maybe the Internet or the internal combustion engine were more important, but anyone that has ever visited Orlando in July knows from where my praise of the fast pass comes.

Here's the idea: there are several highly sought after amusements at a Disney park that you just have to ride. In years past, you would stand in line for hours with your sweaty, impatient children and eventually make it to the air conditioned relief of the ride. Then Mickey in his infinite wisdom invented the Fast Pass. Now you can go to any ride and get a pass to return and ride with NO WAITING. What a concept! A way to get what you want without hassle, without waiting and without extra charges.

I believe that most businesses can benefit from this philosophy. However, not all businesses are set up logistically to deliver their product or service with no waiting and no hassles. Wouldn't it be nice to go to the front of the line with the companies you do business with whenever you like.

CrunchTime Promotions has perfected this concept for custom imprinted promotional products and business gifts. All of the items on the site are available to ship the next business day with your logo. No hassles, no extra charges, no worries.