Cristal Carrington: Personal Branding Tactics

Have you ever called a company with a comment/concern or suggestion and felt like you never got a response? How did that make you feel? Unappreciated? Taken for granted? Did it make you feel like the company really valued you as a customer? Did you decide to purchase that product again, or did you abandon the product/brand of choice for a more responsive, comparatively priced product? How did the choice company’s non-response affect your thoughts about the brand? Did you still believe wholeheartedly in the brand? Could you?

Brand loyalty is a hard thing to build and even harder to keep. New brands are developed each and every day with the desire to replace other brands, even yours. So how do you keep your brand loyalty campaign in tip-top shape? Some of the easy ways to do this is to keep your customer engaged into the core philosophy of your brand and what it stand for, as well as taking the time to reply to your customers, especially the most important ones that are brand loyal, yet are feverishly courted by other brands for their business.

Sometimes it’s not about a company producing a better product as it is the effectiveness of its relationship with its customers and clients. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and the companies that actively apply the Marketing 101 adage that the customer is king rules the roost.

Brand Loyalty Campaigns are much more than loyalty rewards programs or awarding discounts. Yes, customers love gifts and discounts, but true brand loyalists enjoy the thought that their chosen brand cares about them in an individual way instead of just being one in the number. This is where many companies have gone wrong. Compromised brands think that the easiest way to keep a customer around is to dangle discounts as a trade-off for loyalty, when in reality certain consumers prefer not to have a discount, but a more solid relationship with the brand itself. Everyone loves discounts, but people (myself included), love superior products more.

However, just having a superior product is not good enough. Customers value the engagement that a brand provides and this is a deal breaker when it comes to brand loyalty. If the customer feels un-valued, it won’t be long before they find a comparable product that values them. Customers that have proven to be brand loyal don’t mind working hard, paying top dollar, or being a champion for the brand as long as they feel appreciated in the end.

Stay tuned for more fabulous branding commentary at www.theuptowndiva.com and don’t forget to find me on Twitter @thesocialiteprj and Facebook at Cristal Carrington
Smooches & Stay Fabulous!
- Cristal Carrington

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Whenever I can't sleep (prime example: last night), various thoughts come into my mind. Last night, the thought popped up for me to create a dream board, so I am doing one right now and want you to join in on the fun.

Dream/Vision Boards are used to create a visual example of the things you want to manifest in your life. In the world of branding, having visual examples of who you aspire to become is a great step towards enhancing and adding the fuel necessary to fully gauge your potential and activate your success.

Whether its about your career, your love life, or creating a more grounded spiritual existence, you can achieve it (in theory), by looking at these images everyday and working hard to produce the results you want.

I say in theory, because if we don't actively work towards our goals, I believe these images are simply pictures on paper that get lost in the frames of our mind and eaten up by the other images/thoughts we see/think about more often. That's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Dream/Vision boards are used to create the destiny you want. It is a way to bring clarity to your desires and a way to help the universe know exactly what you want and help you to naturally attract it.

According to Christine Kane (www.christinekane.com), Mentor to Women who are Changing the World, there are at least three approaches to a vision board. One is the, “I Know Exactly What I Want” Vision Board. The second is the, “Opening and Allowing” Vision Board. The third is the “Theme” Vision Board. These three approaches I have found exceptionally helpful and I urge both women and men to visit her site for her full article on how to create a vision board. Also, make sure you download her FREE Ebook entitled, The Complete Guide To Vision Boards. Find the article link here:

We shall have whatever we say, think and visualize that is in line or agreement with the universe. For example, you can't make someone like you who doesn't; but if you both like each other, you will know that your love is supported by the universe by the vibrations that surround you and your beloved. They will be intense and powerful and will be utterly natural. Have confidence that the things you want and desire will happen. Sometimes, you have to work through the kinks to get there, but if you really want it, sometimes you have to learn a few things, or understand yourself or others better first. Believe in yourself and the world you want can be yours.

Smooches and Stay Fabulous!

- Cristal Carrington

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I love when I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea. Last night was no different. I'm listening to the audio book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and I have been talking so much about recipes this week, maybe this is where all the inspiration is coming from. Because of this, I've come up with some recipes for success when discussing/activating your brand.

Be Yourself - Nothing is worse than people who aren't comfortable in their own skin. Having a sort of grace and flow with yourself will help you project your brand better to anyone who is interested in learning more. If you're wacky - be wacky. If you are stern and serious all the time - all the time it is; as long as you feel comfortable.

Be Relevant - Staying relevant in any industry can mean alot of things. For some, it means staying in the press. For some, it means taking classes relevant to your profession. For some, it means attending events and just being seen. So find your own way of being relevant and you will.

Be Diligent - Branding yourself and your company isn't easy. I read somewhere that there is no value in a smooth ride, so staying diligent when the ride gets rocky is imperative to your success. Staying persistent and dedicated to making your own impact is what you need. Just add a sprinkle and you will go far.

Be Interesting - Nothing is worse than a bore. In life and in your career, staying interesting is paramount. Being interesting shouldn't take work if you are staying true to the first ingredient of being yourself, but if you find it hard to be interesting, try a new hobby, meet up with new friends or pick up a new exciting project that you've been thinking about for a long time. That's interesting.

Be Consistent - Consistency is something that any one of us can fall short of, especially if we don't see any impact right away. Rome wasn't built overnight and neither will your brand. Do something everyday to enhance your brand and those little things will add up. Be Consistent.

For more recipes - of the liquid variety, visit me on Examiner.com - Search for the DC Cocktails Examiner

- Cristal Carrington

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How many people do you know?

I'm sure those of you reading this post can say you've probably met 1000's of people in your lifetime and you will probably double or triple that number before you die.

In the business of personal or corporate branding, meeting people is essential to the viability of your brand. Simply put: Brands that demand to be known and successful, must know people and the companies they represent.

Networking helps to create/identify win-win situations and you've got the expertise and skills to be a source to others and vice versa. Maybe you've got a worthwhile foundation and you need advocates for your cause; by networking within non-profit circles, you may find journalists or government officials that can help with your mission. In return the journalist will have something to write about and the politician will have a potential new campaign platform for their next election.

Lots of people believe that you can gain employment opportunities by simply sending out a resume or advertising your skills. This is some what true, but the most likely way to land great opportunities is to know people who know people.

Having supportive loved ones is critical to the success of your growing brand, so let family and friends in on your plans for networking and practice your 30 second elevator speech on them. I'm sure they will be delighted to be apart of your growth and will be proud of your success.

You certainly don't have to network every day, but it is important to schedule a few important events every year such as charity luncheons, golf tournaments, or business oriented happy hours. In these places you will find people from all walks of life and professions that have the potential to be effective supporters for your future professional ventures and events.

Some of my networking tips are:
1. Be yourself
2. Be relaxed
3. Gather cards but remember to follow up
4. Remember to listen to the other person, don't just pitch yourself
5. Have fun

For more brand chatter or for a consultation, find me on Twitter.com @theuptowndiva or @thesocialiteprj. You may also find me on Facebook.com at Cristal Carrington

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There are many things a brand must communicate with their audience and customers. These three things are honesty, quality and competency.

Honesty is the very bedrock upon which successful brands operate.
One thing I notice and hold dear is that honest companies are the ones that last. Sure, there are companies run by unscrupulous people and they appear to get ahead, but keep in mind their day is coming. So don’t be afraid or question whether it is right to not only run your company honestly, but your personal brand as well.
You may not initially get the same recognition, but you will know that your hard work will pay off one day and your integrity will always be in-tact and that’s something to be proud of.

A quality brand is one that places care into not only the product, but the brand image that is projected about the brand. Let’s take Lays classic potato chips for example: Over the years, you’ve come to expect a certain taste, flavor and freshness for this chip brand.
Lays makes it a point to place on the back of the bag a stamp that says “Guaranteed fresh, or this snack is on us.” They offer an 800 number for questions/comments and also allow consumers to meet them on Facebook, so their consumers know that Lays is listening to them. Lays not only projects a quality brand image by doing this, but they are protecting their brand image by offering new outlets to monitor their customers interaction with the brand.

Nothing is worse than an incompetent brand. Today’s brands are expected to be smart, functional, intuitive, have the ability to adapt to change when necessary and to solve both seen an unseen problems of the consumer.
Nothing takes the place of competency. If you purchase a product and it doesn’t even do the basic functions that you purchased it for, you will quickly return it for a better product. The same is true for a personal brand.
This is why focusing on what you can do well works better than trying to create competency where there is none.

Thanks for visiting www.TheUptownDiva.com for your personal branding concerns. For a consultation, or to simply chat about your brand, find me on Twitter.com @theuptowndiva or @thesocialiteprj. I am also on Facebook at Cristal Carrington. See you and your brand there.

-Smooches & Stay Fabulous

Cristal Carrington

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Strong brands have brand vision that inspires.
Strong brands are clear about what they represent.
Strong brands are constantly evolving.

As we spoke earlier, creating a superior brand promise is essential to let your clients/customers know what they can expect from you and your brand. Today, we are talking about what strong brands are and what they are not.

Strong brands all seek to inspire their audience to not just use the product, but to gain an experience that simply wouldn’t occur with any other product. Let’s take Crayola Crayons for example: Crayola seeks to inspire everyone that comes in contact with their brand to “free the what if.” They are suggesting that by using their products, the user will unlock the door to a world of possibilities. Now that’s amazing!
Clearly, having a brand vision that inspires is important. Name another crayon company that comes top of mind. Exactly.

Strong brands are clear about what they represent. In lay terms, they aren’t willy-nilly. They have standards about themselves, their products and services and won’t waiver, even if trends suggests they should. Don’t mistake this with a brands inability to revamp itself, that’s just a whole other case.
Let’s take McDonalds for example: Although they have revamped themselves to reflect current healthy lifestyle trends of their customer by adding more salads, fruits and oatmeal to the menu, they are still clear in each ad that their food is real and not a byproduct. Their french fries are still golden and their burgers are still full of calories, but its real meat and potatoes. Don’t you feel a little better to know that?

Strong brands know that constant evolution is self-evident to a brands rise or demise. Change is the one constant that no one can control, but in regards to brands, you can guide them successfully to greatness. Let’s take Clorox Bleach for example: Clorox bleach decided that it didn’t just want to be in your homes, your hospitals or your laundry, they wanted to be in your office. They created Clorox wipes to evolve and expand the brand to meet the concerns of a germ-phobic nation and you are using them consistently to curb germs from your computers, printers and workspace. That is evolution at its finest.

I will continue next time with what brands are not, so remember to check www.theuptowndiva.com often. For a consultation or to just talk about brands, find me on Twitter.com @theuptowndiva and @thesocialiteprj. Find me on Facebook at Cristal Carrington.

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Your brand promise is your personal mantra or statement that you promise to deliver to your audience/customers each and every time they come in contact with you and your product/service.

Creating a brand promise doesn’t have to be difficult. If you have answered the 5 W’s about your personal brand, you already know who you are and what you stand for. Now, creating your brand promise should be that much easier.

My brand promise is to deliver creative, digestible communications so that my audience can successfully craft their personal brand. Your brand promise will consist of a few short sentences that speak about what you plan to deliver and what your audience can expect from you. Staying true to your brand promise is very important, so limit it to what you know you can deliver consistently. You will have enough time to be lofty later.

Don’t mistake your brand promise with your mission statement. Your mission statement is about your purpose for the long term. The brand promise on the other hand, is simply about product and delivery. If you sell widgets, you can promise to deliver quality widgets to your customer. In regards to your personal brand, if you call yourself the gadget guy, you are promising your audience that you will always be on the cutting-edge of the newest gadgets; even before they hit the mainstream market.

Usually a personal brand is created to shine the light on your specialty or an expertise that you possess. Whether you are crafting your personal brand on the basis of marketing an external product/service, or an internal expertise, having a brand promise and sticking to it is paramount.

From your brand promise you can create a tagline that further resonates with your audience. Let’s take Jaguar’s tagline for example: The art of performance. Here we can clearly see the brand promise within the tag line. Jaguar is aware they have competitors that produce high-end, high-performance vehicles, but they promise to deliver the art of performance. The suggestion is like the art of making love, which is different than simply having sex. The word art suggests there is a deeper, more rewarding experience to be gained from driving their vehicles.

Think about what you deliver to your audience and create your own brand promise. For a consultation, or to chat about brands find me on Twitter.com @theuptowndiva or @thesocialiteprj. Find me on Facebook at: Cristal Carrington

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