Tips from Branding Expert Kristine Putt
Interviews, Marketing, Quick Tips, featured — By Lyndi Thompson on November 18, 2011 at 4:48 pmQuestions have been flooding in around “How can I grow my business without breaking the bank on expensive marketing?” I immediately thought of Paragon Moon’s own Kristine Putt. She works exclusively with small businesses grow by building and growing their brand. I sent over a list of questions, many from BizeeBee customers, Facebook fans and even Twitter followers.
Here is what Kristine had to say:
What services do you provide and what types of businesses have you worked with in the past?
I am the owner and chief creative at Paragon Moon – Business Branding and Design. I help women-owned business create lasting meaningful relationships with their clients through effective brand communications and creative visuals. Think of my work as a marriage between marketing strategy and graphic design.
I support a myriad of small businesses and solo-professionals. Some of my Clients include fitness and yoga studios, massage therapists, cosmetics producers, non-profit organizations, bookkeepers and accountants, life and business coaches, authors, product merchandisers, etc.
How can fitness business grow with branding/marketing and other outreach efforts without breaking the bank?
These are difficult topics to relate to each other and are more easily addressed separately. To answer this question, we need to first define the meaning of branding and marketing…
When asked, “What is marketing?” most people reply “Advertising.” Marketing is not advertising. Marketing is the strategic method of creating the communications that support your brand. Advertising is merely the medium or method you use to deliver those communications. While advertising is optional (in most cases), marketing is imperative.
Think of your brand visuals – logo, web site, etc – as what you wear to the party. Think of your brand communications as what you will say when you arrive. The two must support one another. You can look really pretty in your party dress, but if nothing stimulating comes out when you open your mouth, no one will pay attention to you for long.
Defining your brand communications doesn’t have to cost you a dime; it can be done by yourself, if you are able to step out of your own way and maintain an objective approach in your marketing.
However, this is not easy for most people and working with a brand design professional enables an unbiased, independent evaluation from a marketing perspective. The fulfillment I receive from my work is in helping businesses define their core values and how to communicate that in a way that attracts new business.
Investing in your brand should not break the bank. On the contrary, what really breaks the bank is neglecting to create a solid and cohesive brand. Prolonging the use of ineffective marketing materials or methods will only extend the time between now and when your new clients walk through the door. As I’ve often said,
“If your marketing message is NOT PENETRATING your audience, shouting it louder or more often won’t help. The only solution is to CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY.”
What is unique about fitness/yoga businesses you have seen and how should they be approached differently in regard to branding?
Perception is everything. To make an impact on your audience, you must convince them that you are the ONLY solution to their problem. It doesn’t matter if you really are or are not; your prospects just need to think you are. Creating that perception is what I refer to as Marketing Magick!
Fitness and yoga studios have one thing in common: They operate from a local brick and mortar. Their clients come tothem. This means the studios must appeal to their local demographic audience. To make an impact, studio owners must understand the fears/stresses/worries of that demographic. Only then can the studio attempt to position itself as the prospect’s salvation.
One of the biggest mistakes fitness and yoga studio owners make in business is following the “herd mentality” of trying to be everything to everyone. They view niche marketing as a scary proposition; they’re afraid of limiting their business stream. On the contrary, nothing could be further from the truth! Design your brand communications around your ideal customer, not around yourself.
If your studio tries to appeal to everyone (I call this the “spray and pray” approach), you’re not going to penetrate anyone. You must position your brand to be perceived as the ONLY solution to your client’s problems. Knowing who your prospects are and fully understanding their problems is an absolute before moving on the design of a logo, web site or brochure. If you can’t tell someone how you are different, you will only manage to blend in with your competition. Standing apart is critical, especially for small business where the competitive field is fierce.
Remember that no one cares about what you do, how long you’ve been doing it, or what your credentials are. All they care about is, can you solve their problem? Of course you can! But again, you need to know what their problem is. Obviously, each demographic has different problems and different ways of solving them. But not everyone is your customer! Be selective. Hone in on one type of demographic; you can always expand later. Get to know them. Market to them, as if you were talking one on one. This is how you create lasting and committed brand relationships.
What kind of return on investment on branding/marketing is a reasonable expectation from yoga/fitness studio owner?
In so much as I would love to offer you hard statistics, this is not something easily measured. That’s because a brand’s value lies in the hands of the business owner. I can design a brilliantly effective and slick brand. But if the business owner is not committed to upholding the brand’s integrity, it won’t penetrate anyone. It’s like buying a really pretty evening gown that never leaves your closet; you have to wear it to make an impact.
Conversely, wearing a homemade burlap sack in the form of a grainy, pixelated logo, letterhead, or brochure will communicate a lack of commitment to your business. Most people will admit to tossing out poor-quality marketing material due to a lack of confidence in the business. If you treat your marketing material like a yard sale flyer, the main focus of your customers will be on price. Two-thirds of companies that ignore branding or design are forced to compete on price, which is never a good strategy. Well-designed brands are financially more successful and stand a greater chance of business longevity and marketing success.
What are two tips you recommend for a struggling studio owner to consider and get back on track?
Lyndi, at the risk of being long-winded, I’ve provided you with three because neither one of these holds much value without the other two:
First, decide what you want to be famous for. It should be specific, narrow, focused. I call this your Claim to Fame. It’s your claim of distinction, the one thing you do best and that no one else can claim. If you say, “I want to be famous for helping people lose weight,” that’s not distinct enough because any fitness studio can pretty much say the same thing. But if you say, “I want to be famous for helping new moms lose weight naturally,” now we’re getting somewhere because the odds are that there is no other studio in your local area that makes new moms AND natural weight loss their focus. Figure out your “one thing” and hone in on that!
Second, write your brand communications around your target audience. Your brand communications include your business name, your tag line (or mantra) and your mission statement to help keep you and everyone in your organization on brand. Your brand communications must be direct and strong. Most importantly, they must be objective, keeping the benefit to your customer clear.
As an example, which makes a more powerful brand communication?
1. Work It Fitness Studio: Yoga, Fitness and Nutrition
or
2. A Natural Fit: Yoga and Nutrition for Moms and Babies
The first business sounds like every other fitness studio, doesn’t it? It lacks distinction and is rather generic, which doesn’t make any sort of impact on anyone. The messaging is weak and unappealing.
But the second brand makes a clear, defining statement. As a prospective client, I would know – just by the name and tag line - what you do, how you’re different and why only YOU can solve my problem (the benefit!). In this example, it is not just the “natural” approach to weight loss (notice the word “natural” in the business name), but also tells me that my new baby is welcome in your studio and I don’t have to worry about leaving my newborn unattended, thereby also making my fitness routine convenient.*
* Quick tip: People, by nature, are tribal. We gather. When you know your specific target audience, it’s much easier to find them in groups. If you are targeting new moms, you know where they hang out. But there is no such thing as a hang out for “everyone.” I can’t stress this enough: be specific about your market!
Third, hire an experienced graphic designer that can translate your communications into a visual story. Your graphics should tell the story in pictures, in your logo, in your brochures. Graphic designers that work freelance and are not outside of your budget. Just be sure to hire one that “gets” your brand. People relate to images more than they do to words, so don’t skimp and think you can design your own graphics. Hiring a pro can make all the difference in how your brand is perceived, and we already know that perception is everything. Design your brand ONCE the right way, and it will sustain your business for many years to come.
What are the best ways to get in contact with you?
I can be reached through my
web site: http://paragonmoon.com
Twitter @ParagonMoon.
Always happy to answer any questions, so feel free to call me at 714.710.9139.
Brand Designer helping Women-Owned Businesses create lasting, MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS with their clients through creative visual communication.
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