Re-Branding Yourself: A Coffee & Donuts Case Study

Driving home from a late-night meeting in Philly last week, I passed one of my favorite caffeination stations- Dunkin’ Donuts!  As I looked at their sign, I noticed that their newest logo incorporated an image not of a delectable donut, but of a steaming cup of coffee.  That got me thinking about the notion of re-branding or expanding upon your existing brand.

How is it that such a strong brand has successfully re-aligned itself and literally transformed what it was that they were known for, into an entirely different market?  While the markets are related and relevant, they have completely re-branded their image to be known not only for donuts, but for great coffee as well.

According to published reports, DD decided to add the coffee cup to their logo due to the fact that they were selling more COFFEE than they were donuts.  By looking for other related products or services to incorporate into their existing store and customer base, concentrating on coffee seemed a natural progression.  They have since added premium coffee selections, bagged coffee, branded coffee mugs and even run promotions around their coffee menus.

Like DD, we too can expand or re-brand ourselves to fit market demands in ways that make sense for our businesses.  What new, relevant direction can you take your business in?  Think outside the box of your product or service and consider each market that relates to what it is that you do.  Even if you don’t completely re-brand your core offerings, ponder new, creative ways to supplement what you are already doing.  If a company like Dunkin’ Donuts, with the word “Donuts” in their name can re-brand themselves as coffee baristas, think of what you can do in yours!

Blog, Blogging, Video Blogging – How much is enough?

Social Media is all the rage right now, and rightfully so.  Where else can you tap into your target market, share your content, and even get their feedback?  One of the other big draws to social marketing is the affordability.  One aspect of social media that is often overlooked is blogging.  Blogging is creating posts online, relating to a specific subject, your business, your passion, your hobby, or just what you happen to see that day walking to work.  There is no right or wrong answer about what to post, as long as you keep it clean and are sharing relevant information.

Did you know that it is National Blog Posting Month?  Of course you did because you are in touch with the latest trends and have your pulse on the social market.  And if you didn’t know about NaBloPoMo09 then don’t think your career is doomed, just get involved with the internet and become active in social media campaigns, namely blogging!  Blogging is also good for the environment, it saves trees, it lets you share your thoughts with your target market in a non-intimidating manner, and it is low cost.

In case you are not a blogger, here are some more reasons for you to become a believer.  Blogging helps improve your search engine rankings through easy to implement SEO, increases your customer base, and gets your name and brand out there to your target market.  Blogging is just journaling online and can live on a variety of free and inexpensive hosting sites once you figure out a catchy domain name for your blog!  This blog becomes your first image and your web page to promote your brand.

If you are running a blog, good for you!  Share it with us in your comments and we will take a peek and hopefully learn some new information or at least have a good read!  Do you have a good audience for your blog?  While we are proud of you for getting your thoughts and ideas out there, how effective is your time being spent if no one is listening?  Marketing, email campaigns, and building an audience is an essential part of your social media, namely blogging, campaign.

Have you thought about video blogging?  Vlogs are more involved that posting a video of you talking on your website.  A Vlog is more along the lines of a video journal or a video post as just another way to share your information.  You can vlog on anything you can blog on; for example we vlogged about the launch of our business!  I can’t tell you how many takes we did some days and how much fun we had documenting this process in such a unique way.  It sure beat coming home after a long business development day and feeling obligated to write a long blog post.  Check it out if you want some good insight as well as some good laughs!  http://www.watchuslaunch.com

At the end of the day, blogging and vlogs are just good business practice.  Take a moment to set yours up, talk to a friend, or call us to make it happen.  As long as the content is relevant and interesting keep on posting!

What is a “Virtual Professional?”

Times are changing in our Virtual industry! With more and more highly skilled people out of work, and the concept of virtual work environments becoming more widely accepted; it’s a natural progression within our economy to blend the two into a new hybrid, now termed the “Virtual Professional.”

A Virtual Professional can essentially be described as any creative or technically-skilled professional performing services remotely. Because the terminology is so new, it’s not surprising that we are writing the definition in real-time. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most active VPs within this growing industry:

• Graphic Designers
• Web Designers
• Copywriters
• Bookkeepers
• Business Consultants
• Social Media experts
• Online Marketers
• Public Relations Reps
• Sales Reps

Let’s face it, Going Virtual is a greening, cost-effective option for companies and a freeing, results-only work environment for employees or freelancers. Entrepreneurs with little or no office space can effectively partner with VPs to launch new products, start-up a side business or build out an existing business.  In Corporate America, even large companies like Best Buy, IBM and AT&T have a reported 40% of their workforce working “remotely.” Couple that massive acceptance of virtual office arrangements with a floundering economy and talented employees looking to create some sense of stability in their lives, and you have set the stage for the emergence of Virtual Professionals.