Business Coaching

Tools like Twitter are designed to grow any business, brand or image, but, like with any new platform, there are many avenues of wealth still left to be exploited in its use.

Celebrities have been at the front of using Twitter to connect with their fans and deliver their message directly. That was what brought Charlie Sheen to begin using Twitter, and why over a million people follow him setting a Guiness World record by accumulating 1 million followers of his Tweets in less than 24 hours.

It’s been a few weeks since Charlie Sheen was seemingly on every television show and radio station offering pearls of wisdom before moving to Twitter.

Sheen’s very public meltdown (or publicity stunt) gave us such classic memes as “Adonis DNA and Tiger’s Blood” or “Riding on a Mercury Surfboard”, to name just a few, but it also gave him a public pulpit he’d never had before.

While much of what he said was, to say the least, loopy, it certainly helped grow his already well known brand and take it to a new level.

Sheen started his public tirade the old-fashioned way, on television and radio, but he realized he was missing the social media boat. He contacted Ad.ly, a PR company that specializes in using social media and celebrities for commercial endorsements.

Say what you will about Sheen, but he saw that there was an opportunity and found away to cash in.

Sheen is now a member of Ad.ly celebrity roster, which is more than 1000 strong and while the crazy Tweets have slowed down, there’s little doubt his followers will be seeing plenty of Twitter endorsements from him.

Sheen’s story is a great example of how a business or a person can grow a brand with Twitter.

Sure, he was already well known and had the big advantage of being able to say any crazy thing he wanted without serious repercussions but it begs the question, what are you doing with your Twitter account to grow your brand, and your business?

Coca-Cola's logo hasn't changed all that much over the year.

It’s funny what the original logos and branding for major corporations today looked like back at the company’s inception.

Take fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Burger King.

Coca-Cola has had roughly the same brand logo since its inception. The script appeared in Coke ads first in the 1900s, and although it has had some minor tweaks here and there (with a brief use of a new logo in 1985 for “new” Coke, which was scrapped for the old logo again in 1987), it’s been pretty standard through the years. That’s the same logo for about 123 years.

Meanwhile, Pepsi-Cola changed its logo about 11 times since 1898.

There are lots of things to consider when marketing your brand: is your product filling a need? Is it a quality and valued product? And is it being marketed well?

Companies want brand logos that are instantly recognizable. It may take a while to get there, but once there, the payoff – your product and company visible and known from far and wide – is great.

Think about how you market yourself and your logo. That could make all the difference when it comes to being recognized vs. not being known at all.

Check out the evolution of more logos here.

Will marketing be dependent on Twitter? And is that a good idea?

With all the hubbub about social media, it begs the question: is social media marketing hype? Social media marketing is useful now…but will it be in the future?

Several successful CEOs, like Brad Sugars, Tony Hsieh and Guy Kawasaki are huge fans of social media marketing. But will investing everything in social media be a big mistake down the line?

Marc Brownstein, writer for Advertising Age, says it will. In his article, he writes about how marketing decision-makers everywhere are slashing media budgets and relying heavily on social media — too heavily, in his opinion:

“Brands that already have, or are planning to go dark, in favor of a Facebook page and a steady diet of Tweets.

Some of you might say I’m a hypocrite for feeling this way, as my agency is a leader in social media since 2004. I speak publicly about its attributes and have written frequently and glowingly about it in this column. And our clients are certainly benefiting from digital strategies, none of which are weighted all toward social media.

I love the power of the unfiltered consumer voice — the dialogue between brands and customers as well as customers and customers, vendors and customers, agencies and customers. It’s all good. It’s just that I believe some marketers have gone too far in their reliance on all things Twitter. No doubt their brand awareness, and brand identity, will one day suffer.

My mother taught me that things in moderation won’t hurt you. In this case, she’s right. Social media belongs in the media mix. But it shouldn’t be the entire mix.

How will customers find you? Why should they care about your product/service? What are you going to do when your competitors crank up their promotional spend and start taking your customers?

This message is simple — the short-term delight of not spending any media dollars on advertising will surely have a long-term effect: brand erosion.”

Do you agree?

Coca-Cola has had roughly the same brand since its inception.

Coca-Cola has had roughly the same brand logo since its inception. The script appeared in Coke ads first in the 1900s, and although it has had some minor tweaks here and there (with a brief use of a new logo in 1985 for “new” Coke, which was scrapped for the old logo again in 1987), it’s been pretty standard through the years. That’s the same logo for about 123 years.

Meanwhile, Pepsi-Cola changed its logo about 11 times since 1898.

In Business Week’s top 100 global brands list, Coke is number one. Pepsi is 23^rd.

There are lots of things to consider when marketing your brand: is your product filling a need? Is it a quality and valued product? And is it being marketed well?

Companies want brand logos that are instantly recognizable. It may take a while to get there, but once there, the payoff – your product and company visible and known from far and wide – is great.

Think about how you market yourself and your logo. That could make all the difference when it comes to being recognized vs. not being known at all.