American Family Insurance – Stephen Laird Agency is a J.D. Power and Associates “Distinguished Insurance Agency.” The award is presented to agents who offer their customers an outstanding customer experience.

Other interesting info:
American Family Insurance – Stephen Laird Agency opened in Streetsboro, Ohio in October of 2008. Stephen Laird is the current president of the Streetsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. He is also the Streetsboro JV/Varsity Assistant Boys basketball coach and is engaged to Abbey Abramowicz.

Company Tagline: Your dream is out there. Go get it. We’ll protect it.

“Like” The Stephen Laird Agency on Facebook here

Every month, we’re featuring one of our very best Facebook fans in a blog post with promotion to their own business or website, if they have one and sharing through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The more our fans contribute, engage and interact on our FB page by answering questions, leaving comments, sharing tips, tagging, sharing photos and info, the better chance they have of winning the title.

Be sure to “Like” us here on Facebook to play along! Good luck and let’s have some fun!

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3 Chamber Business to Business Show on May 10, 2012 at Signature of Solon

Trade and business to business shows are a fabulous way to gain more exposure for your brand and generate new client leads. The secret to the success of any show is literally stepping outside your booth and engaging attendees.

It always amazes me to see exhibit booth staffers sitting behind their table reading a book or socializing with coworkers. Why would any company spend time and money at a show and then ignore potential customers?

Step outside the comfort zone of your booth to interact and engage with people as they walk by your display. Try to find an opening line or question to ask them that relates to your product or service. The question you ask should be something that can’t be answered quickly or with a head nod as prospects walk by. Challenge them so they will stop and think about what you’ve asked.

How they answer will give you a pretty good idea if they are open to what you are selling. Once you have their attention, hook them with some kind of giveaway that relates to what you do so you can tell them what you have to offer. Let them walk away if you find they are not interested. Your time can be better spent speaking with those who are.

Be respectful, courteous and friendly as you pull people in without being overly pushy or distracting to the other exhibitors around you. Make sure your booth and graphics are beautiful and interesting so that people will want to stop and hang around. Have literature on hand so those who are interested can take what they want.

The internet and social media have changed the landscape for many businesses. Trade and business to business shows offer a great excuse to get out and meet with prospects face-to-face while catching up on industry news. Let’s face it, more networking activities can translate into more sales opportunities especially if you step outside your booth!

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The Kay Jewelers tagline is an example of a great advertising jingle that works. Their tagline:  “Every kiss begins with Kay.” In addition to its memorable tune, the imagery that this tagline conveys is consistent with what every jewelry purchase is meant to achieve. This tagline is engaging and communicates something emotional that everyone can identify with.

To create this type of memorable tagline that will hook someone into becoming a customer, always focus on and understand your ideal customer. Keep in mind that not everyone will want or need your product or service so make sure to identify who does.

What are they concerned about? What will make them happy? How can you help them solve a problem? How will solving their problem make them feel?

The really great taglines communicate a company personality while subconsciously describing product benefits. The most memorable and effective slogans connect on some deep emotional level which should build brand loyalty especially in today’s price sensitive atmosphere.

To craft a catchy and effective tagline that connects emotionally, we use the KISS principle. (Keep it simple, stupid) The wording should be short, clear and easy to say and remember so an audience can instantly connect and relate to its message or hook.

Crafting a beautiful tagline that is unique and distinctive ultimately should help people know more about a business. An inspirational tagline is one more element in building a strong and successful brand that will hopefully prompt people to open their wallet.

Do you have any favorite taglines, good or bad, that you’d like to share? Why do you think they are a success or failure?

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These world class companies generate visual brand-recall by making their logos a key component of their branding. They look unique, memorable and professional while conveying a clear and consistent message.

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for and it’s a pretty good guess that these premium brands all hired a professional designer to create their logo. The kid next door who is majoring in graphic design may be able to provide a quick and cheap logo, but will it look amateurish?

What about one of those online companies that offer really cheap logos? Again, are you willing to run the risk of making your brand look as cheap as your new logo? And, then there is the issue of designing a logo so it looks good both in print and on the web.

The most common mistake we see most new companies make is to hire a web designer to create their new logo. These web designers may offer to create a logo at a cut rate price as part of the website design package, but often create a logo in low resolution. This pixelated raster logo version will be unusable if a logo ever needs to be enlarged for a promotional display or signage and often translates poorly in print.

Most web designers don’t consider that a corporate logo needs to be simple in design so that is can be scaled to any size without losing quality for both print and web applications. They don’t have the print experience to understand that colors and style of a logo will translate differently in print.

A custom logo should be supplied to a client in eps, png and jpg formats so that it can easily be used on all media. If any designer tells you they can’t provide all of these formats, run away as fast as you can!

Remember that consistency in look and message are both vital in creating a strong brand. The company sign outside must match what is represented on your marketing literature and website. Your brand must be visible everywhere so potential customers see and hear about  your name, logo, literature and online efforts consistently over and over again.

How important do you think it is to invest in a strong brand logo to inspire, establish trust and differentiate your company?

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Signs PDQ also is a wholesale manufacturer specializing in custom ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant signs. You can learn more about ADA signage and view their new video online at www.ADAsignsWholesale.com

Every month, we’re featuring one of our very best Facebook fans in a blog post with promotion to their own business or website, if they have one and sharing through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The more our fans contribute, engage and interact on our FB page by answering questions, leaving comments, sharing tips, tagging, sharing photos and info, the better chance they have of winning the title.

Be sure to “Like” us here on Facebook to play along! Good luck and let’s have some fun!

A “Like” from someone does not necessarily mean they are a happy paying customer just yet. They may be in the “getting to know your brand” stage and it could take some time for them to feel comfortable enough to trust and interact with you.

Take the time to get to know and understand them by finding ways of connecting with them. Ask a lot of questions and pay attention to their responses. Most people usually have expectations that once they’ve “Liked” a business on FB they should get something in return whether it’s a discount of just free information.

The real challenge is how to keep all those new fans from hitting the “hide” button in their news feeds once they’ve “Liked” a company. It’s very important once you have that “Like” to offer quality status updates that reinforce your service while offering an incentive to be a part of your page community. Keep your posts useful, fun and interesting if you want more attention and shares.

It takes time and effort to build the kind of quality fan base that truly will share and interact with a brand. Reward those loyal supporters and come up with a way to show your appreciation to those who take the time to actively engage with you on your wall.

Continue to encourage your supporters to click the little “Share” button right next to your messages so their friends will be notified that they found your information useful. This will alert all their connections about your update and as long as the information is interesting, there’s a chance someone who is not familiar with your brand will check you out.

Remember, you can have hundreds of likes on your page, but if only a few people actually comment and share your content then all those “Likes” are pretty meaningless. An organic and balanced approach to getting more “Likes” each week will guarantee your business success on Facebook!

If you want some help figuring it all out, give us a call at 330-995-5401 or connect with us here. We can help you tweak your strategy to grow your Facebook visitors and more importantly increase your level of engagement with fans and potential customers.

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Most of us are terrified of change and hate it. But change can be positive if we embrace it. Change is necessary if we want to improve and grow. If change makes things better, than we love it!

There is no sense in complaining about the ever changing landscape of Facebook. Instead, let’s take a look at the most positive part of the new timeline for business pages set to launch on March 30, 2012! Hopefully, you are not one of those procrastinators who waited until the last minute and now look incredibly unprepared in front of all your followers.

One of the most exciting aspects about the new Facebook timeline is the cover image. The cover image allows all businesses an additional branding opportunity which can awe and inspire fans to connect with you. Keep the cover image fresh and new by changing it often.

As usual, Facebook guidelines are set in place defining what you can and can not do with your cover image, but a little creativity can go a long way in making your page stand out like never before. Check out the Facebook guidelines here.

Take a look at our timeline cover image and “like” us while you’re there and share with us your cover image!

With the Easter season upon us, don’t be afraid of change. Trust that God has your life planned out and embrace change, always looking for the positive.

Developing a strong brand-product appeal and identity that no one else can copy is what building brand equity is all about. The value and worth of a brand like SpongeBob is huge compared to any actual physical asset. This added value is one reason a buyer may pay a higher price for a product or service.

Branding is more important today than ever before because it helps differentiate one product from another. A strong and unique brand that taps into emotional benefits will be more powerful because it adds perceived quality and value with prospects and customers.

So just how do you create this type of brand? For starters, take the time to research your audience and customer to find out what they need and understand their values.

Then, develop and write down the emotional benefits you feel communicate the message about your brand. Make sure everyone involved, from your employees to your sales force, understands them.

Integrate this message, both online and offline, in every aspect of your business including product, sales, customer service and marketing. Hire a professional to create your corporate identity and put it everywhere you can.

Continue to earn and maintain brand loyalty by being consistent and unwavering with this brand message or else you will confuse everyone from your employees to your customers!

Will anyone remember your business name and know what to expect when they work with you? Share with us any experience you have with branding.

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Why? Well, it appears that we humans, by nature, are primarily concerned with our selves. We don’t purchase products or services unless there is a direct benefit to us. Maybe it makes us look better or feel more confident, and we won’t “Like” a business on Facebook unless there is something in it for us.

That being said, businesses should think about why anyone would “Like” them on Facebook. There needs to be something in it for the customer. Be cautious about running any contest because Facebook follows very strict rules.

Most people who “Like” businesses because of those expensive giveaways often only hang around to win what’s being given away. They don’t have any real interest in your page or postings. Keep in mind that the quality of fans is much more important than quantity!

At Charene Creative we are going to start a “Fan of the Month” promotion on Facebook. We will be featuring one of our very best fans every month. The more our fans engage and interact on our FB page, the better chance they have of winning the title.

In appreciation to our “Fan of the Month” we will feature them in a blog post through an interview type format, with promotion to their own business or website if they have one. That means FREE advertising blasted across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn! The April competition begins NOW!

Go “Like” us at http://www.Facebook.com/ChareneCreative and start engaging with us on our FB page!  Below are some ideas on how to gain our “Fan of the Month” title:

1. Upload relevant photos regarding marketing or advertising to our wall using the little photo icon found by the status update bar
2. Comment on any article, or click “like” to support anything we have shared with our fans.
3. Post relevant questions regarding marketing or advertising to our wall.
4. Share any post or photo on our wall with all your friends and connections on Facebook.

What have you done to get people to “Like” your Facebook page? Share your ideas with us.

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This last week was a tragic one for Northeast Ohio. We woke up on Monday to a High School shooting in Chardon in which the outcome was every parents worst nightmare. Then, just a few days later, we heard about a precious young friend of my daughters who died tragically in a car accident. All so young and their deaths were not in the natural order of things.

And, so began a week of funerals in which many tears were shed and memories shared. Through the tears there were also smiles and welcome sounds of laughter as we viewed photo boards set up by the family. Photographs help us to grieve by remembering happy moments together. Picture collages are a welcome and common part of many memorial services.

This week as I was surrounded by grief and photography, I got to thinking about Kodak and how it succumb to the same tragic fate. At one time, they had one of the most innovative research departments in the world and were the very ones that built the first digital camera in 1975. This technology basically is what destroyed Kodak because they never totally embraced the digital revolution.

Up until the early 1990s, Kodak was considered one of the world’s most valuable brands. Technology is what eventually did them in. The brands that will survive today are the ones that are able to innovate, adapt, evolve and change quickly recognizing consumer shifts and trends before their competitors. In other words, those that change with the times will be around tomorrow!

This means that branding is more important than ever before! Why? Well, today marketing is about values and connecting with your audience. If you want people to know about a company and remember what it stands for then you need to be relevant and compete heavily for attention in a very loud world.

Sadly, many companies like Kodak fail to adapt and change with the times and in doing so, stop caring about listening to their customers’. The combination of these two factors along with lack of advertising often leads to their demise.

The tragedy is that many companies, just like too many young people, die premature deaths. When that happens it breaks your heart.

Have you ever mourned the loss of a company? If so, tell us about it and why you think it happened.

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