3 Branding Questions Small Businesses Need to Answer

How you present your small business is important. No matter how well you provide a service or product, there is one thing that can overshadow all your hard work: your brand.

Branding is much more than your logo, website and printed material. Business cards can be a powerful marketing and networking tool; imagine if all of your interactions were this powerful – this is what good branding can do. With each step of your business you should consider how it can help your business grow.

Many small businesses don’t have the resources to consult with a brand designer or specialist – and you don’t necessarily need to. However there are three branding questions all business owners should consider:

1. Who Is Your Audience?

Who is your target market and who will be using your product or service? Who are your existing customers? What do they need, and how can you help them? Are there new audiences or niche markets you could to attract?

Considering your audience is the first crucial step in learning about and developing a brand suitable for your business. The better you understand your audience the better you will be able to engage them with your branding.

As an example, corporate and professional branding might be appropriate for lawyers and the financial industry, whereas a bakery or salon can add more fun and humour to their branding to get an edge on the competition.

If you have existing customers and are considering developing new branding, it is important to consider these customers. You don’t want to alienate an existing loyal customer base.

2. What Impression Would You Like Your Business to Create?

Use your brand as a powerful tool to create and maintain the right impression of your business. Your business and its identity should be a cohesive unit – from service, to product, to marketing material.

Unique branding is one way small businesses can stand apart from competitors and gain customers or capture a niche market. A unique story or local flair is a powerful way a business impression can be developed.

Whether a customer is calling your office, visiting your storefront location, or viewing your company website, your brand should be reflected uniformly in all your business practices. What you say, says a lot about you.

3. What Does Your Brand Say About Your Business?

What would be the personality of your business? Consider: If your brand was a public figure, who would it be?

How would you like your business to be remembered? The brand is the personality of your business – something customers can relate to and recognise. How would your brand communicate and interact with your customers?

Is your brand aligning with your target audience? Would it expressing your vision or mission statement?

Keep your brand consistent and relevant, but don’t be afraid to have fun! Some businesses are so tight and controlling with colours, typefaces and style that their branding becomes dull and repetitive. Keep your audience interested and engaged.

Once you’ve considered these questions you are on the right track to develop and build a strong brand for your business. Ensure everyone involved in your business is a part of your brand, and even a part of developing it. This will keep your brand relevant to your audience and aligned to your business practices.

Source: http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca

St. Paul - 'Best Romantic North American Getaway' by USAToday voters

Your Buenos Aires of the North? Your Paris in the snow? Your frozen Venice?

It's St. Paul -- voted the "Best Romantic North American Getaway" by 10Best and USA Today after nearly a month of online voting.

Described as the "smaller, quieter and, many say, the more sophisticated" of the Twin Cities on its official voting page, St. Paul beat the likes of tropical Honolulu, historic Savannah, Ga., and picturesque Victoria, British Columbia.

St. Paul's entry readily admits it's "not an obvious choice" for a romantic getaway, but its leisurely paddlewheel rides on the Mississippi River, beer tastings and ice skating won voters' hearts.

Voting opened Dec. 30, and fans could vote once a day.

While the city was tops nationally, local Internet users seemed skeptical. A poll on TwinCities.com asking "Is St. Paul truly the Paris of the North?" drew 1,819 responses by late Wednesday afternoon. More than 52 percent of respondents chose the answer "Not Really."

Nevertheless, a third chose "Yes. Have you walked through Rice Park Lately?" More than 10 percent conceded "Huh. Maybe."

The season's intense cold actually may have served to boost St. Paul's chances in the USA Today contest. Adam Johnson, vice president of marketing for Visit St. Paul, said Twin Cities television and newspapers helped spread the word about online voting.
"I don't think any of the other cities went the local media route like we did," Johnson said.

He's well aware that skeptics unfamiliar with the capital city's love-lined streets still will doubt the romantic draw of St. Paul over warmer destinations such as Honolulu. That's one reason he's hoping that an out-of-state resident wins a new contest, which was announced Wednesday.

Visit Saint Paul is running an online drawing for a romantic getaway for two in St. Paul -- which also includes airfare for far-flung St. Paul fans. The giveaway will include a stay at The St. Paul Hotel, car service and gift certificates to restaurants.

Enter at www.visitsaintpaul.com/romance. And naturally, the winner will be announced on Valentine's Day.

In a congratulatory statement to the USA Today mention, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman touted the city's "beautiful open spaces, historic architecture, best restaurants and diverse activities" like ice skating outside the downtown Landmark Center or strolling across Rice Park when ice sculptures are on display. "It's hard to beat St. Paul's charm," Coleman said.

Good tidings also arrived from across the river. Saying the Twin Cities support each another, Kristen Montag, a spokeswoman with the Meet Minneapolis convention and visitors bureau said: "Minneapolis gets lots and lots of accolades, and it's great that St. Paul can take this and run with it."

The contest was different than the typical lists magazines and travel sites publish to generate interest, Montag notes. This one was driven by online voters, and the results reflected local pride and growing outside interest.

With the exception of the more labor-intensive "best city" lists generated by comparing data such as cost-of-living and crime rates, most such rankings are culled by travel writers and website editors. And the Twin Cities are coming out on top in many of those lists, too.

"Forbes named us one of the '10 Most Unexpectedly Romantic Cities,'" Montag said. "We were No. 5."

A nod from New York City or Los Angeles-based media professionals who may have once regarded St. Paul and Minneapolis as "flyover" country speaks to the increasingly positive impression the Twin Cities are making on out-of-state residents, she said.

Source: http://www.twincities.com

Twin Cities: Monday cold might close schools -- again

With more subzero temperatures in the forecast for Monday, school leaders across Minnesota are preparing to decide if they should cancel classes for a fourth time this month.

A storm system is expected to hit Saturday night and continue Sunday, with high winds packing the possibility of blizzard or white-out conditions in parts of southern and western Minnesota.

Behind the snow will come some of Minnesota's coldest air of the winter with lows of 20 to 25 degrees below zero and wind chills in the minus-35 to minus-50 range, comparable to the polar vortex that gripped Minnesota Jan. 6-7.

Metro school leaders said Friday they consider closing school when air temperatures drop near 20 below zero and wind chills make even a brief time outside dangerous.

Gov. Mark Dayton closed all Minnesota schools Jan. 6 because of the extreme cold. Most schools stayed closed Jan. 7. Dayton's decision to close all schools because of weather was the first time a governor took such action since 1997.

This week, St. Paul, Minneapolis and other districts called off classes Thursday, which saw a morning low of 17 below.

Leaders in metro districts such as St. Paul, Minneapolis, Burnsville, Edina, Mounds View, South Washington County and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan said they would make a decision about Monday's classes by Sunday evening. Rochester, Winona and Austin schools announced Friday they would close Monday because of the cold.

The repeated days of canceled classes mean several districts will add new school days to their calendars or convert planned days off into instructional days.

Meanwhile, Friday afternoon's snowfall led to a slow evening commute in the Twin Cities.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported fair driving conditions, congested traffic on arterial highways and numerous accidents and spinouts.

Source: http://www.twincities.com

Dunkin' Donuts to try again in Minnesota

Late last week, Steve Rafferty, the senior director for Dunkin' Brands U.S. franchising, announced that Dunkin' Donuts plans to open approximately 50 stores around Minnesota starting in 2015.

This isn't the first time Dunkin' Donuts has attempted to return to the state; the company tried and failed to open 100 restaurants in 2008. The same happened in 2001. And remember Krispy Kreme? The franchise lasted in Minnesota for a mere six years, closing its last stores in early 2008. Take note, Dunkin' Donuts: According to a Kare 11 story from 2008, the Krispy Kreme decline may have resulted from the company's attempts to open too many stores too soon.

Though Dunkin' Donuts has a track record of total domination in the donut market, local donut shop owners aren't fretting.

Sarah Jane Lovegren, the owner of Sarah Jane's Bakery, said she isn't worried about Dunkin' Donuts taking her shop's business. "I don't think their quality can stand up to a from-scratch bakery," she said. Lovegren remembers that Sarah Jane's was "super busy" the weekend Krispy Kreme opened. "They got the word out about donuts," she said.

Jesse Hedman, a baker at Mojo Monkey, feels similarly about the effect Dunkin' Donuts will have on local shops. "I can't speak for the owner or the business but, as a person who's been baking and personally working with donuts for awhile, I think it could be a good thing," he said. "It could bring awareness of donut culture to Minnesota."

Arwyn Birch, who co-owns Glam Doll Donuts with Teresa Fox, said she feels confident that Glam Doll will retain its loyal customer base. "[Glam Doll and Dunkin Donuts are] completely different worlds of donut businesses and donut clientele," she said. "People who are looking for that type of a donut, that type of experience behind their donut, I think they have places to go and they will go there anyway."

What do you, our faithful Hot Dish readers think? Are you excited for Dunkin's Minnesota revival?

Source: http://citypages.com

How to Attract Great Word of Mouth Referrals

If you want to attract your ideal profile of client and get more word of mouth referrals, this post is written just for you.

The power of focus

When you focus on delighting a segment of your potential clients, rather than trying to appeal to all of them, you give them a reason to talk about you.

Here’s why.

Those who your work and marketing is targeted toward, will feel as if you truly understand them. Your marketing messages will also feel directly relevant to them. When people in your targeted niche feel that way about you and your work, they tell their friends. Many of these friends will have a similar mindset and value your approach too. Birds of a feather and all that.

Soon, not only are you attracting more targeted clients, you are attracting more word of mouth referrals than before. Just as importantly, you are attracting word of mouth referrals from people who are a great fit for you and your business.

Delightful

The key is to focus exclusively on delighting, (providing a Meaningful Difference), to a targeted niche of your marketplace. These should be the people, who are your ideal profile of client. No compromising.

In short: Be directly relevant to those you most want to attract. Delight them… then watch your work spread.

Source: http://jimsmarketingblog.com/

Think Customer Needs When Finding Business Idea

You want to start a business but you just can’t find that one great idea.

This dilemma is often a major stumbling block for many aspiring small-business owners. They just keep waiting for that one big idea that will guarantee a successful business.

The reality is that more often, a good idea, rather than a great idea, is what makes the business a success. A good idea that offers benefits to the customer, coupled with a solid marketing plan and great customer service, can turn into a winning business idea.

This is where local businesses have such an advantage. The owners can fully understand their target market and what those customers want. The owners also can build on established relationships to connect with and use in developing an outstanding customer support network.

It is important that the business owner think of the idea in terms of the customer’s needs and wants. It is not the features that sells a product or service but the benefit to the customer.

Often the business owner thinks in terms of a specific list of details about his or her product. Think of a simple loaf of bread. The label discusses the calorie content, the amount of fat and how many grams of fiber the loaf contains. But what the customer wants is the taste. If customers grew up eating mom’s homemade bread, they are looking for the taste they remember, and even a loaf that looks like what they once had.

So where do good ideas come from?

In reality, most businesses develop around an idea that is only a small jump, or even just a little step, forward from an existing idea, not the quantum leap we think we need to have. Look at how successful brands expand their product lines by just adding little changes to an existing product.

The ‘new’ idea sometimes isn’t even new. I have worked with business owners who find their idea when visiting an area outside of their trade zone. When they find a place they like and the lines are coming out of the door, they take the idea home and consider how it might work in their area.

Such ideas may need to be tweaked or modified but it is a great place to start. As a note of caution, though, the owner also should consider intellectual property issues that may arise early in the business development process.

The amazing thing is that some of the most unlikely business ideas have gone on to be successful businesses. Marketing and customer service as elements to business success. Meeting customer needs is however the crucial key.

Source: http://smallbizsurvival.com

The Secret to Starting Anything…

There’s ALWAYS a gap between what we know we SHOULD do and what we ACTUALLY do.

And this technique I share in today’s video is designed to help you close that gap.

Watch the video…

In the video, I leveled a challenge for you. A challenge that I’d like YOU to participate in.

All you have to do is leave a comment below and say, “Before I go to sleep tonight, I will [insert your goal].

Do it now.

Source: http://socialtriggers.com

Leadership Luncheon - Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith co-founded Innovative Office Solutions in June of 2001.  Innovative Office Solutions began as an office supply/furniture company, serving businesses of all sizes who value a relationship-oriented approach. Under a vision “To make people more productive”, Innovative has expanded its offering to include new categories such as facility supplies, educational supplies/furniture, print & fulfillment and managed print services. Striving to be a single source solution coupled with an office productivity focus, the company has quickly become one of the largest and fastest growing office solutions companies in the country.

Industry Awards include the Woman on the Way Award from NAWBO in 2004 and in 2005 she received the Woman to Watch award presented by the Business Journal of Minneapolis.  In 2010 she was awarded the Enterprising Woman of the Year Award.  She also was awarded the 2010 WBE of the year award from the WBDC in Minnesota. In 2011 she was awarded the Bob Klas Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Dakota-Scott Counties.

In addition to her individual awards, Innovative Office Solutions has been recognized annually in the top 25 Furniture and Office Suppliers in the Minneapolis Business Journal since 2001.   The company has also been recognized as one of the 5000 fastest growing private companies in the US in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Minnesota in 2010, 2011 and 2012.  In 2010, the Proficiency Post awarded Innovative the top US reseller under $50 million in revenue; and in 2012 & 2013, Minnesota Business magazine named Innovative as one of its 100 Best Places to Work.

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Blake Summer Programs 2014

Announcement from  Deana Jaeschke Clapp - Director of Summer at Blake

Join Summer at Blake for an exciting season of growth and fun. Summer is when we can open our doors wide to students from the neighborhood and across the Twin Cities. The love of learning is central to the mission of The Blake School and we invite students from pre–kindergarten through twelfth grade to pursue academic, artistic and athletic interests and passions.
From camps to courses, from the ice arena to the science lab, students enjoy Blake's amazing facilities, talented coaches and superb teachers. We are excited about all that our 2014 summer programs have to offer, and we hope you will join us.

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CNN Criticized for Torturing Reporter Amid Mpls' Polar Vortex

In any event, here's how Elam's attire transformed over the course of the day.

CNN takes heat (no pun intended) for making a reporter stand outside today and report live along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis while the windchill was 44 below.

"Boasting that they had sent a 'California girl' to the depths of the polar vortex on Monday, CNN repeatedly made correspondent Stephanie Elam trudge onto the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis... to report first-hand on the 'historic and life threatening' cold enveloping the central states," Mediaite writes.

The payoff? Hard-hitting reports about the rate at which Elam's coffee froze, authorities' admonishments not to go outside (while she stood outside), steam coming off the river, and other things you definitely wouldn't need someone to fly to Minneapolis and freeze their ass off to report.

Source: http://citypages.com

R.T. Rybak R.T. Rybak suffers heart attack while cross-country skiing

Former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is resting with his family at Abbott Northwestern Hospital after undergoing an angioplasty and stent placement earlier today.

Rybak had been cross-country skiing at Theodore Wirth Park early Saturday afternoon when he felt chest pains. He was transported to the hospital via ambulance, where doctors performed the procedure that inserted two stents.

As rumors about his condition swirled, Rybak confirmed he was alive and well in one of his trademark poem tweets.

@R_T_Rybak My cardiac surprise/Gave me quite a start/But it proves this politician/Has a great big heart.

Here's a description of the non-surgical procedure that Rybak underwent:

    Coronary angioplasty (AN-jee-o-plas-tee), also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. Angioplasty involves temporarily inserting and blowing up a tiny balloon where your artery is clogged to help widen the artery.

    Angioplasty is often combined with the permanent placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent to help prop the artery open and decrease the chance of it narrowing again. Some stents are coated with medication to help keep your artery open (drug-eluting stents), while others are not (bare-metal stents).

Rybak, 58, ended his 12-year term as mayor Thursday when Betsy Hodges was sworn in as his replacement.

Source: http://blogs.citypages.com

The secret of the five top

The person who invented the banquet table, the round table for ten, wasn’t doing it to please those at the banquet or even the banquet organizer. He did it because this is the perfect size for the kitchen and the servers. The table for ten is a platonic ideal of the intersection of the geometry of bread baskets, flower arrangements and salad dressing. Bigger and you couldn’t reach, smaller and there’s no room.

But, here’s the thing: the table for ten isolates everyone at it. You can’t talk to your left without ignoring your right, and you can’t talk across the table without yelling. And so, the very thing you’ve set up to engage the audience actually does the opposite. This is even true if you're taking nine people out for dinner--ten at a table undermines what you set out to do.

Worse, if you’re brave enough to have a speaker or a presentation at your banquet, you’ve totally undermined your goals. Half the audience is looking in the wrong direction, and there are huge circles of empty white space that no microphone can overcome.

In my experience--I’m sharing a hugely valuable secret here--you score a big win when you put five people at tables for four instead. Five people, that magical prime number, pushes everyone to talk to everyone. The close proximity makes it more difficult to find a place for the bread basket, but far, far easier for people to actually do what they came to do, which is connect with one another.

Thousands of speeches later, I can tell you that the single worst thing an organizer can do to her event is sit people at tables for ten.

If you want to let the banquet manager run your next event, by all means, feel free. Just understand that his goals are different from yours.

Source: http://sethgodin.typepad.com