Branding: It Doesn't Have to Hurt!

Storytellers need to pay attention to stories but also to marketing their skills. If you are new to the business of storytelling or revamping your image, here are some sites to help you brand yourself with style!

"Exploring brand marketing concepts is a great way to fine-tune your business model and business practices, but what is branding and why is it important?

A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer."
http://tinyurl.com/ntkbrn

Read on for some interesting 'how to' articles to help you make your mark!

What is Branding and How Important is it to Your Marketing Strategy?
This article will help you “understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.”
http://tinyurl.com/aowt4l

A Practical Guide to Branding
From Businessweek – “Define your brand identity—your product's "personality"—before you spend a dime on advertising or marketing.”
http://tinyurl.com/55r9hd

Developing Your Brand Strategy
A step-by-step guide including:
• What is Branding?
• How To Define Your Brand
• Determining Your Brand's Objectives
• Focusing on Your Target Audience
• Discovering and Crushing Your Brand Barriers
• Brand Packaging and Identity
http://tinyurl.com/c2cfr5

Five No Cost Marketing Tips
Everyone is taking a second look at how we are spending our time and money, particularly during these difficult economic times. Here are tips to help you stay above the fray. http://tinyurl.com/7t8zfb

The Fundamentals of Branding
Does branding apply to us? Read on to learn how “the concept of branding applies to any individual, organization, product, or service, as long as there is a transaction between human beings.”
http://tinyurl.com/desav9

What is Branding? Are you sure you know?
Understanding branding is as ‘easy as pie’ with this visual.
http://tinyurl.com/c8knqg

The Non-Profit Tagline Report - An In Depth Survey and Analysis: Building Your Brand in Eight Words or Less http://tinyurl.com/dyj69s

If you wish to use any of the above sites from my newsletter with their accompanying synopses, please contact me for permission at storybug@aol.com.


Photo courtesy of http://tickledbylife.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/brand.jpg

Surf War! A Book Review

Surf War!, based on a folktale from the Marshall Islands, The War Between the Sandpipers and the Whales, found in Peace Tales, is another superb offering by author and folklorist Margaret Read MacDonald.

The subtle, yet important, moral woven throughout the tale will resonant long after the book is placed back on the shelf.

The dialogue between the characters is very accessible for younger ears and effortlessly lends itself to the spoken word. The illustrations by Geraldo Valẽrio are gorgeous, so vibrant they are almost musical in their fluidity. The story and pictures are sure to capture the interest of any child, whether in the classroom, library, or home. Margaret has another hit on her hands!


Book cover image courtesy of AugustHouse.com