Build and Manage Successful Brands with BIOs (Brand Impression Opportunities)
By Peter George
What a fascinating time we live in; hundreds of new products enter the marketplace every day. More books are published each year than used to be published in entire decades. We have access to a seemingly endless availability of news, television and radio stations, communication devices, and information.
This onslaught leaves marketers with what some see as an almost insurmountable task -- developing effective ways to break through the deluge of information and have their messages resonate with their target audiences. I, however, see this as an incredible opportunity. Since accomplishing this feat has become more difficult over the years, many companies do not bother to market as required by today's environment, or worse yet, they do not market at all. What better opportunity could a progressively-minded company ask for?
With this tremendous opportunity comes a massive responsibility. When a company's message gets through the clutter and rings true in the target audience's ear, the company must not only uphold its promise at every contact it has with its customers, but it must also surpass that promise -- every time, by every employee, by every product, by every system. Indeed, if a positive brand impression is not made at every contact, the odds of the company's message effectively getting through to that prospect again are greatly diminished, and what was an advantage becomes a more-difficult-than-ever undertaking.
Give thought to every way you and your company come into contact with your prospects and customers. Do you wow them, or are you just like everyone one else? Think about the Brand Impression Opportunities (BIOs) that you have, the ones you can create, and how you can turn them from mere possibilities into positive interactions -- interactions that reverberate with your customers ... interactions that are memorable experiences ... interactions that make such an impression that your customers willingly and spontaneously tell others about you. In today's hectic world, this is essential. No matter how good your product is, no matter what the benefits are, unless your customers have unusually great experiences with your product, employees, and systems each and every time they interact with them, your sales and profits suffer. Let your competitors offer an everyday experience. Stand above the rest and have prospects become customers, and customers become your greatest brand champions!
Peter George is a noted speaker and consultant.