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Subject line: First Lesson - Branding for Success


Hello "autoresponder code here",

Welcome to your first lesson in the Branding for Success Crash Course. Over the next few days, you will receive several lessons that will help you learn simple yet effective ways to brand and grow your business using customer incentives.

In this first lesson let's talk a little about the importance of business branding. One of the most important things you’re going to do as a business owner is create your brand. It is one of the best forms of constant promotion you will ever have in your arsenal. It’s a way to represent what your audience thinks, says, and feels about your products and/or services. Developing a solid brand can lead to a lifetime of 

Often, this has to be developed over time and is encompassed in not only the physical representation of your business, but also the feeling that develops in people over time when talking about or thinking about your business. 

There are some do’s and don’ts you should consider when seeking to better your business brand. If you can remember that your brand is really all about your audience, and how you want them to feel than about you, it’ll be a lot easier. Branding is a long-term strategy that you’ll need to consistently work on. 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you begin the process:

-  Create a Plan of Action 

You can’t properly brand your business without giving it a lot of thought in advance. While it may be something that is developed over time, it’s not done willy-nilly without a plan. 

-  Build up Your Online Presence 

Everything you do online represents your brand, from the colors you choose for your logo to the words you put on social media. In order to do that right, you have to set up a branding guide to help you and others remember what you want to represent.

-  Build up Your Offline Presence 

While your business may be an “online business” today, it’s becoming more important to market your business offline too. If you truly want to be a brand people remember, don’t trap yourself into only being online. As the tools to get your products and/or services delivered to your audience change, you want to be ready.

-  Watch Your Competition 

You may be a step or two ahead of your competition, but you may not be. Checking up on how they’re doing things is essential to keeping yourself on track too. You want to do a little better than your competition and stay ahead of the game.

-  Push Your Comfort Zone 

It can be frightening to get your name out there, but you need to. Post articles, guest blog posts, and do interviews. Host webinars and teleseminars, and even publish a book. The more you can do to push your brand, the more people will start knowing who you are.

-  Make Connections 

Make connections that matter, both online and offline. Follow up with people you meet. Find creative ways to maintain the connections you make both online and offline. Consider sending a card in the mail, or a copy of an article you think they’ll enjoy.

When it comes to developing a solid brand presence there also a few things you shouldn’t do. Let’s go over a few:

-  Blow Smoke 

Don’t confuse branding with advertising. In advertising, a certain amount of smoke blowing is acceptable and legal. But, when it comes to branding, you don’t want to do that. You want to tell it like it is.

-  Be Crazy on Social Media 

You tell your kids that social media is dangerous, and one wrong picture will follow you forever; it’s true. Don’t post pictures of you living it up at that wedding, or hanging from the chandeliers at the bachelorette party. Keep your social media G-rated and appropriate for business. 

-  Lie

You need to be yourself and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Lying about how much money you make, or about your experience, or about how well your business is doing is wrong (whether online or offline), and has no place in business.

-  Avoid Offline Activities

It can be easy to get used to doing everything online if you have an online business. But, you have to remember that tools change. What used to seem like an anonymous adventure is now bringing people together in real life more than ever.

-  Forget Your Call to Action

If you don’t ask people to take action, they won’t. Most people need to be told what to do next to make that next step. 

Following these simple do’s and don’ts will help you with your business branding experience. The main take-away is to be yourself, realize it’s about your audience, not you, and that branding is a process that takes some time and will not happen overnight. 

We have a lot to go over in the next few days if you want to learn more about how to use old school promotion to grow your business, so make sure you look for your next lesson soon. We will be talking about

Thank you again for joining, 
"add your name here"

"your email address"

"your URL here"

PS. if you have questions or need assistance please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to help. 



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2

Subject line: Second Lesson - Branding for Success


Hello "autoresponder code here",

It’s time for your second lesson in the Branding for Success Crash Course. I hope you found lesson one informative. In this lesson we are going to go over a few inexpensive ways to brand and grow your business with promotional materials. 

Using business promotion materials is a pretty old school way to promote a business. It has been used for decades because it actually works. In the trade they are called business premiums. Some of the materials you will use within your business, such as envelopes, stationary, jump drives, mugs and even staplers, but others you can give to clients to use so that they don’t forget about you.

Here are a few examples:

-  Branded Envelopes

Getting branded envelopes isn’t much more expensive than getting regular envelopes, but when you send out mail, it will make a difference when they see your branding on that envelope to whether they open the mail or not. 

-  T-Shirts or Clothing
While wearables can be risky business due to different styles and sizes, for some businesses this is a perfect way to promote their business. If you have a food-related business, or casual business, you may find hats, aprons, oven mitts or something like that useful as a marketing tool.

-  Coffee Mugs

Even if people don’t drink coffee, a branded mug is something they generally appreciate because they can use it for a number of things - even as paperclip holder if they want to. A lot of people even collect mugs.

-  Mouse Pads

Everyone uses mouse pads, so they make a great way to promote your brand. The people using it will see your logo on a daily basis and think of you. Having your business on the top of their mind, even if subconsciously, is a huge win.

-  USB Flash Drives

If you have a tech business, give a branded USB drive with some marketing material or something interesting on it (which is erasable so they can still use the stick). It's a great way to get something useful that’s also inexpensive.

-  Sponsorships

This might not seem inexpensive, but you can find local charities to support that don’t cost much to sponsor but that will get your name out into the community - and perhaps even on a speaker’s list. Usually they’ll take your brochures, flyers and other premiums as well to give out to people.

-  Freebies and Giveaways 

Many clubs need freebies and giveaways as prizes for games. Why not donate some of your unused premiums to them for that. College clubs are great starts for this. Look at the club that most matches your business.

-  Local Advertising 

It may cost a lot less than you think to advertise locally. You can get a radio spot or a mention on your local PBS station with a relatively low sponsorship rate. To see if it works, have them go to a website to sign up to get a free premium of some kind.

You can make all kinds of promotional materials work for your business. It doesn’t matter if your business is online or offline today. Most consumers expect to get more for their money today than ever before. If you seek to over deliver, and surprise them with something no one else is doing, you’ll win their business. That's it for today's lesson. In your next lesson we will be talking about

Until then,
"add your name here"

"your email address"

"your URL here"

PS. Again, I appreciate your joining me for this short course. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I will be glad to help!



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3


Subject line: Third Lesson - Branding for Success

Hello "autoresponder code here",

It’s "add your name here", with your third lesson in the Branding for Success Crash Course. Today we are going to talk some more about the benefits of using promotional materials. 

Promotional materials, also called premiums, are products that have your business logo and/or tag line on them. People use them, wear them, and give them away, while spreading the word about your business. They can be used in numerous ways from sponsorships, to gifts, to surprise inclusions with a purchase. 

-  Expand Brand Recognition 

Having people wear and use merchandise with your logo on it will increase the number of people who notice your brand. When a friend has on a hat with your logo on it, they may check out your business and even buy something.

-  Relatively Low-Cost Advertising 

TV advertising can be expensive, but promotional products aren’t that expensive when you consider the benefits. You can sponsor a sports team inexpensively and all the parents will see this logo every game and when doing their laundry. It will keep you at the top of their mind.

-  Great Business Card Replacements 

If you really want to stand out at your next event, instead of handing out business cards, hand out key chains, book marks, t-shirts, hats, balls, bumper stickers, or USB drives. People will remember you because you’ll likely be the only one doing it.

-  People like Touching Something

In today’s digital world, getting something that can be touched is a revelation. It feels good to touch something that’s real instead of only looking at digital things.

-  Consumers Keep Promotional Materials 

When you give usable and targeted items to your audience, they will keep them and use them. This means that they will see the products and logos maybe even daily, keeping you at the top of their mind.

-  Consumer Brand Impression Improves

When you have merchandise with your logo on it to give away or even for purchase, consumers think more highly of your brand. Think of all the branded items that you buy yourself.

-  Lots of Products to Choose Offer

Today, due to less expensive manufacturing practices, you can get almost any type of product with your logo on it. You can brand everything from clothing to electronics.

-  Improves Sales When Combined

Encourage sales by adding a promotional item when a certain dollar amount has been reached on a particular purchase. You can use a point system or a dollar system.

-  Increase Customer Loyalty

Premiums given as surprises or earned by making a certain amount of purchases can greatly increase consumer devotion. They feel special when you give them an extra gift.

The benefits of using promotional materials are almost unquantifiable. Small businesses usually cannot afford TV ads, and need to find other ways to get their message out. T-shirts, bumper stickers, window clings and more offers the business another way to accomplish brand recognition and increase sales.

That's it for today's lesson. In your next lesson we will be going over a few more ideas that you can use to get your customers attention with the right types of incentives.  

Until then,
"add your name here"

"your email address"

"your URL here"


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4

Subject line: Fourth Lesson - Branding for Success


Hello "autoresponder code here",

How are you?  We're winding down to the end of this short course. But we still need to go over a few things, so today we are going to jump right in and talk about a few more ideas that you can use to get your customers attention on a budget.  

As we have been discussing in your lessons, whether you run an online or an offline business, promotional materials can be wonderful incentives for your customers. Plus, they are a good way to market your business in a fun and interactive way. What’s more, in some cases you can give away items as incentives and appreciation but you can also sell them and give them away as prizes.

Items like calendars, pens, whiteboards, mugs, mouse pads, loyalty cards, gift certifications, portable USB chargers, t-shirts and more are all good things to give to customers to show appreciation. A really good example of a customer appreciation gift is the recipe sharing site Justapinch.com. After you’ve been a member for a while, they send you a chef’s apron with their logo on it. It’s good quality apron that you would be proud to own.

Here are a few more ideas that might help get your creative juices flowing:

-  Send Out Cards 

There are a lot of services like this now, but this is probably one of the first. You can set it up so they automatically send out cards to your subscriber list through the mail. This is an excellent idea for one-on-one coaching programs, group coaching and small inner circles. Getting a branded birthday card will make them feel special and appreciated.
Link: https://www.sendoutcards.com 

-  T-shirts 

People love wearing interesting t-shirts with clever sayings. If your business is the type of business that this will work for, try sending new members, or clients who order over a certain amount, a free t-shirt as a thank you. 

-  Gift Certificates

These are excellent for service-based businesses to give to clients who have referred you to a paying client. Then they can buy some of your services or use the gift certificate to cut their normal bill. You’re still making money because you only send this out when you get paid by the new client they referred.

-  Pens and Pads 

Do you have a writing inner circle? While most people write on their computers today, if people are paying good money for a membership and maintain it for six months or a year, send them a thank you gift like a pen and pad set to encourage more writing.

-  Custom Memory 

As I mentioned in your second lesson flash drives are a great incentive. You can use them in place of business cards to hand out to people at networking events. Put something on the Custom USB so that when they plug it in to their device they learn more about your business. This way whenever they use it they will remember you.
Link: https://www.customusb.com/ 

-  Gift Cards

If you keep track of what your clients like, you can quickly determine what type of gift card they’d like. You can send these with a personalized card and message so that they remember who gave it. 

-  Calendars

Are you a VA or a life coach? If so, what better gift to give than a customized calendar? Instead of random images you can also use quotes, tips and motivational information that helps your client each time they look at it. 

-  Loyalty Cards
When you’ve had a client or customer for a long time, you want to recognize that. A great way to do that is to give them a special loyalty card that entitles them to earn points toward freebies or bonus items that you’ve already picked out. Credit card companies aren’t the only ones who can do this.

The trick is to pick something that your audience will enjoy or find useful. You can make them smile, think fondly of you, or you can make them thankful for you each time they use the item you send. Both are good choices for any business that wants to put their customers first.

I hope today's lesson was helpful to you. Don't forget to keep an eye out for my next email. There will be some great stuff in your last lesson.

Until then,
"add your name here"

"your email address"

"your URL here"


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5

Subject line: Fifth Lesson - Branding for Success


Hello "autoresponder code here",

Well, we have come to the final lesson in the Branding for Success Crash Course. I sure hope you have enjoyed your lessons and learned a lot about using incentives to grow and brand your business. 

As we have been discussing using promotional material to grow your business is a very effective means of branding. Some might say it’s a combination of branding and marketing. You want to promote your business but you also want to ensure that the items you offer are a reflection of what your brand represents to the consumer.

-  Buy Quality Merchandise

Unless you want to project "cheap" to your customers, don’t buy cheap stuff. You don’t want them to throw it away; you want them to get use out of it for a long time so that they think of you when they do.

-  Make It Targeted

If your audience consists of pet lovers, make sure the items represent the knowledge that they love pets. Pet toys, pet clothing, and t-shirts representing their love of all things pets will go far. Similarly, if they love technology, you want to ensure your promotional merchandise reflects their love of tech.

-  Make It Usable

You want them to use the item that you’re giving away. Otherwise it’s just a waste of money. This means that you need to know what types of things they need or will use. Will they use a magnetized refrigerator frame or pad for a list?

-  Work with a Consultant

There are consultants who work with the companies that sell promotional materials or premiums. The consultants can help you figure out what your audience will enjoy receiving and also how to get them at the best price for the quality that you want.

-  Consider Sponsorships

A good way to use premiums is to sponsor a child’s sports team or an event. This is a great way to get your name out there into the community and an excellent use for promotional materials.

-  Think Experiences

One thing that a lot of businesses don’t think about is giving their customers experiences along with things. For example, give them a shopping spree and t-shirts to wear while on the spree. 

-  Don’t Go by Price Only

The biggest mistake people do when buying promotional materials is think there is a free ride. If you pick the cheapest priced items, you’ll get things that you cannot even use and that no one else wants to use either.

-  Consider Customer Loyalty Programs 

A good use of promotional merchandise is within a customer loyalty program. Let them use points earned by their participation, or expenditures for promotional merchandise like t-shirts. 

-  Surprise Customers 
When you have a long-term customer who has an anniversary, birthday or other life event, surprise them with a commemorative item of value that has your logo and information on it.

Bottom line customer incentives are a great way to brand and grow your business as well as become recognized as a reputable and generous business in your industry so why not use them!

As we close this final lesson I would like to thank you again for joining me for this short course. I sincerely hope that you have learned a lot about using customer incentives to brand and grow your own business!

Even though we have come to the end of your lessons I want you to know that I am still available to answer your questions, so please feel free to contact me if you need any help getting started using incentives. 

Until then,
"add your name here"

"your email address"

"your URL here"












