Page 115 - Duct Tape Marketing

99Chapter 7: Establishing Your Position and Brand

in all our ads. The mood and tone of our communications will be friendly
and intelligent, conveying the kind of casual confidence and enthusiasm
that members in a book club express to one another.

Using your creative strategy

Every time you create an ad, a direct mailer, a voice-mail recording, or even a
business letter or an employee uniform or dress code, be 100-percent certain
that your communication is consistent with the creative strategy that you’ve
established to guide your business personality. Here are some ways to do so:

ߜ Use your creative strategy to guide every representation of your
business — and your brand. Start by looking around your business to
see that your physical space projects the tone you want for your busi-
ness. If your creative strategy stipulates a discreet tone for your busi-
ness, you won’t want prospects to encounter a rowdy atmosphere with
music blaring when they walk into or call your business. Carry that
same discipline into every marketing communication.

ߜ Create each new marketing communication with your creative strat-
egy in mind. Whether you’re developing a building sign, a Web site, or a
splashy ad for an expensive magazine, insist that the final product
adheres to your creative strategy.

ߜ Fine-tune your creative strategy annually. Each year as you update
your marketing plan (see Chapter 22), review your creative strategy. You
may decide to reach out to a different target market, or you may decide
to present a different marketing message based on your assessment of
market opportunities. But hold tight to your definition of the mood and
tone of your communications. (Flip back to the section “Consistency
builds brands” for a reminder on why your look and tone need to be reli-
able indicators of your brand image.)

Writing Your Image Style Guide

Well-branded organizations have firm rules about how their logos may be pre-
sented, what type styles and colors may be used in marketing materials, how
certain words are used, and when and how tag lines, copyrights, and trade-
mark indicators apply — called style guidelines. They protect the consistency
of your business image in the marketplace. Before a print shop, a specialty-
advertising producer, a staff designer, an outside marketing firm, or any other
supplier creates marketing materials on your behalf, share your style guide-
lines to steer the outcome of their efforts.