Being a Brilliant Brand Ambassador: Part II
Continued from Being a Brilliant Brand Ambassador: Part I
In the first installation, we covered the first two figurative building blocks for establishing the foundation of your Brand Embassy:
1. Keeping up Appearances
2. Maintaining Knowledge Leadership
In this final chapter, we’ll address two more.
3. Take Initiative and Stay Engaged
o Introduce yourself at every opportunity with an intro of the appropriate length and content. Every business needs three basic intros that you can deliver seamlessly and at the drop of a hat:
A “Bumper Sticker”: Think of this as a descriptive tag line. Should be no longer than you would put on a bumper sticker.
The 30-Second Elevator Pitch: If you only have 30 seconds in an elevator with a stranger, how do you describe your company in a compelling and engaging manner?
Your 60-Second Value Proposition: This is a distillation of the value you propose to offer your customers. It can take a little less or a little more than a minute to deliver, but 60 seconds is a great rule of thumb.
o Put your story out there wherever you can. Think of it as plastering the neighborhood with flyers.
Make it a practice to do ONE thing online every day to “spread the virus”
Set up profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace and YouTube. Update them all weekly.
Look up the top 100 Social Media Networks and create an identity for your company on at least 50 of them.
Blogging: Find compatible blogs to comment on, and start your own.
o Always carry business cards and flyers or coupons or brochures to give anyone who’s interested
o Post business cards on physical bulletin boards at coffee shops, pet stores, Laundromats, grocery stores, groomers, vets, doctors offices… wherever they have a board, put a card up!
o Be sure your business card includes bullet points listing the types or brands of products, or describing your service offering, as well as your “Bumper Sticker” or tag line.
4. Be an Entrepreneur and Take Ownership
o Follow up with contacts you make, whether you meet in a grocery store or a networking event.
o Think outside of the box. Look at other businesses that you interact with and think about how you could integrate what they do well into your business.
o Always look for ways to improve. If something isn’t working, fix it. If something is working well, see if it can work better. Test and try new ideas. Always be willing to fail, but be sure you learn from your mistakes instead of repeating them.
o Say Thank You for referrals, leads, inquiries, new business and return business. Say Thank You for suggestions, feedback, even complaints. Remember a complaint is an opportunity to improve and earn a customer’s profound loyalty.
If the concept of Brand Ambassadorship resonates with you, you may be interested in reading more about what leading business evangelists are saying. We recommend three excellent books: Guy Kawasaki’s Selling the Dream, Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz and Seth Godin’s Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Extraordinary.
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Need help with your communicating your Unique Selling Proposition? For assistance with identity, branding, advertising, search engine optimization and all your marketing needs, AcuteVisibility|BMO is a full service integrated marketing agency that can help launch your business and maximize your success.
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