"Thought Leadership" has been a bit of a buzz word (I guess words in this case) in the marketing world for a few years now.  What does it mean though?  I like to look at it as "Show Don't Tell," where you position yourself as the expert in your area of focus by providing helpful resources to your customer base at little to no cost to them without overly self-promoting your business.  This is the information age, and it is more important than ever to really prove yourself.  So, show people why you should be the trusted resources for their  [fill in the blank]  needs instead of telling everyone to use you or buy from you.  The self-promotional efforts can sometimes become white noise if that is all you are putting out there.  How do you show and not tell?  Below are some great ways to help develop yourself as a thought leader.  Know your audience's interests, pain points, lifestyle, communication style, etc...

So, I've gone on and on about why your brand is important and how to define it, but what the heck do you do with it? What about your company should be branded?  Essentially, everything.  Your brand should be consistent and reflected in any communication or experience you have with the outside world , your employees included.  Now for small businesses and start-ups, this can seem impossible or cumbersome.  So to begin, just start with your front line...logo, website/online presence, brochures, and even signage.  It is important that these look professional and consistent (same colors, fonts, message).  Be sure any written materials web or printed are proofed and are relatable to your target audience.  As a quick example, I will go into some of the thought behind my branding choices.   Logo : My logo is a snarky, confident little dog ready to brave the world and run with the big dogs.  It is meant to be a symbol o...

Judging by Marley's face, her answer to the question above would be a solid no. If you read my last blog post, you should now understand the importance of having a well-thought brand.  If you haven't, then back that thang up to my last post .  I went over the fact that people make decisions based on their emotions about a company or brand, and it is important that you are sending out "good vibes" so you do not get overlooked.  There are a few things you should analyze before you begin branding your company: Who are my competitors? How am I different from my competitors? Who are my customers? Who am I? How do I want to make my customers feel and think about my brand? Branding Case Study: Little Dog Marketing I'll go ahead and put myself out there, which is scary, but I've done far crazier things (like quit my job to chase a dream).  Here are my thoughts behind my own brand and how I want to be perceived.  Competitors:   Gosh, I'm u...