I grew up on the “fashionable” East Side of Milwaukee and graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Advertising/Public Relations. I never got around to working in advertising or public relations because marketing has been way too much fun! I’ve been fortunate to have acquired marketing experience with companies in a number of interesting industries like architecture/interior design, law, technology, restaurant/hospitality. There is always so much more to learn in marketing, which provides constant motivation for me.

When I’m not at Mangold Creative, you can usually find me doing something FUN. I really enjoy inspirational cultural activities like going to symphony performances, visiting art museum collections, dancing, attending vintage auto shows, etc. However, I am also an unlikely adrenaline junkie. I will excitedly participate in almost anything that has the potential to be fast, dirty, and/or loud. My next big goal is to learn how to play drums like John Bonham (or at least pretend to be that incredible).

As a small business owner, you face a multitude of emotions: Freedom, Fulfillment, Happiness, Frustration, Stress...

But what about LOVE?

Today is Valentine’s Day, my favorite of the “non-holidays.” In our household, we don’t exchange gifts, chocolate or cards, but I do enjoy a day dedicated to celebrating LOVE. It energizes us, is there for us when we are down, and is, in my opinion, the 8th Wonder of the World.

LOVE for a spouse, child, family member, friend or event pet is understood. But what about LOVE for your brand? When did you last look at your logo and feel emotion? Do your marketing materials make you “feel” anything? They should!

Recently we unveiled a rebrand for a client. As we shared her new “look” for her small business, she began to cry - tears of joy I hope! :) She connected to what was, only minutes earlier, ink on paper. It reflected her vision, her hopes for her company and most importantly her brand personality. It was LOVE at first sight!

That, my friend, is branding!

Your brand SHOULD evoke emotion. You should LOVE your website and print collateral. You should feel pride when you see your logo on a truck, polo shirt or pen.

Why?

Because, that emotion keeps you loyal, trusting and connected to your business. You sell harder, you work longer and you serve your clients better - because you believe in and LOVE your business.

If you don’t LOVE your brand, call us. Because, after all, what is life without LOVE?

My favorite day....website launch day! Thinking about a home remodel? Or maybe building a new castle for the king and queen? Check out Next Step Builders' new website! Beautiful photos of the great work they do! Check it out at www.nextstepbuilders.com

Welcome to the New Year! If you are working on your 2012 goals, we thought we'd share our "thinking critically" list of questions. Hope they are helpful!

• What is your unique selling proposition - what’s different about your organization/product/service
• Who are the key players on your team? What are their roles/strengths?
• What are your key goals/business objectives? What’s holding you back?
• What are your biggest revenues/sales opportunities? Most profitable? Least profitable?
• What is your biggest frustration with growing this area?
• Who have you been targeting? Is there a new segment that you’ve not considered?
• Who do you consider your main competition? How do you stack up?
• Can you define your brand?
• How do consumers perceive your brand?
• How would you describe your current marketing/advertising/PR efforts? Where are they weak? Where are they strong?
• Do you have a marketing plan? What process do you use to develop it? How often is it revisited?
• What marketing resources do you already have? How would you rate those resources?
• What marketing talent/capabilities do you have in house? External relationships?
• What is your marketing budget?

Need help formulating or executing on your 2012 plans? Let us know!

Tip #1 Know Your Target Market.
Your target market should be as specific as possible so that you are only attracting people with a high level of interest in your product. A great way to define your target market is by age, race, sex, geography and income.

Tip #2 Only Target Your Target Market.
Try to refine your email list to as a specific of a group as you can. It’s better to send out 20 email and get 5 good responses than to send out 200 for the same outcome. I know that sounds like common sense, but it’s one of the most common rules that companies break. Some companies feel if they send their message to everyone then everyone will come running to get their product. The actual fact of the matter is, majority of the people who buy your product are going to be within your target market. Using the umbrella affect to cover everyone is going to upset the people who don’t have any interest in your product. It is also going to cost you a lot more money to acquire such a large list.