[ Heart + Smart ] Blog by Authentic Brand - Marketing content for B2B growth organizations

17

Oct

Brand Messaging Moments: How Your Brand Narrative Evolves as You Grow. Part 1.

If you didn’t catch my last post, then please take a second and at least skim it. In it, I share what a brand narrative is, how to create one, and the potential ROI for your brand. That said, creating your brand narrative is never one and done. As your company grows, your brand narrative has to evolve. This allows you to keep up with new internal and external challenges that every growing brand faces. What milestones in your growth will affect your brand narrative? (more…)

09

Oct

TCSW18: The Lifecycle of a Brand Panel

We kicked off Twin Cities Startup Week (#TCSW18), early this Monday morning with a room full of entrepreneurs, marketers and four brilliant panelists. Our very own Jennifer Zick moderated the conversation and helped weave together the experiences these veteran business leaders have in building businesses and building brands. (more…)

25

Sep

Why Create a Narrative for Your Brand?

In 1962, the car rental company Avis was losing $3.2 million per year, and consistently losing to their main competitor Hertz. Then Avis changed their brand narrative and started embracing their position as number two in the market. Instead of trying to position themselves as better in the minds of prospects, they admitted they were number two and that it made them work harder. This convinced customers that they were going to get better service by choosing Avis. (more…)

21

Sep

Authentic Brand & Lake One Present at Manufacturers Alliance

On September 14th, Authentic Brand - in partnership with our ally partner Lake One Digital - was pleased to lead a presentation and workshop for the Manufacturers Alliance sales and marketing peer group. More than 20 leaders attended the session, titled "Building Sustainable Business Growth." (more…)

13

Sep

Lifecycle of a Brand: Building Stories that Start, Scale, Sustain, and Sell Businesses

These Minnesota business owners have years of experience building businesses and building brands. They have perspectives from the "been there done that" side and the "still there, doing that" side. Learn how these entrepreneurs have shaped and reshaped their go-to-market strategies and stories through stages of growth and evolution. Get a founder’s perspective on marketing, brand, and maintaining focus and alignment through change. Gain real-world insights that will help you activate for today and plan for tomorrow. (more…)

What’s the Difference? Strategic Marketing Consultants and Agencies vs. Fractional CMOs

07

Sep

What’s the Difference? Strategic Marketing Consultants and Agencies vs. Fractional CMOs

Marketing can feel like the world’s biggest experiment. The corner store doesn’t have the same marketing needs as a mid-sized business, and isn’t even playing the same game as enterprise-level companies. What does this mean for your marketing? It means that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, magic pill, or easy button. To succeed you need a custom plan tailored to your business with an expert guide to back it. But, finding the right marketing expertise is often the first challenge. (more…)

31

Aug

Marketer’s Community Event: Short-Term Gains vs. Long-Term Brand Health

If you recall, the first Marketers' Community event was such a huge hit! This second event didn't disappoint either. Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to participate as a cheerleader and partner in the second Marketers' Community Event. It was held at the new Impact Hub at Finnegans. If you aren't familiar, Marketers' Community is a new educational event series and networking group spearheaded by Laura King, the Twin Cities' most dynamic modern marketing recruiter. (more…)

Welcome to the Gig Economy: Talent strategies for today’s growing businesses

13

Aug

Welcome to the Gig Economy: Talent strategies for today’s growing businesses

Finding top notch leaders for your growing business is critical. Having the right people in the right seats is key to the health and sustainability of your organization. But finding ideal candidates can be challenging in our current economy. Unemployment is at an all-time low, and candidates can afford to be selective. Many are choosing to forsake full-time employment for the chance to do meaningful work on a part-time, flexible, contract basis. We're now living in a gig economy, defined by Google as "a labor market characterized by the prevalence…

07

Aug

We fed 47 kids for a year!

We have been dreaming about this "next generation" event for months. It was so fun to bring a community of volunteers together that included so many kiddos. The Two Or More community of volunteers gathered at Feed My Starving Children in Eagan to pack food for kids in Haiti. With all hands on deck, we packed enough food for 47 children to eat for a full year! (more…)

Rethinking the CMO Role for Growing Businesses

30

Jul

Rethinking the CMO Role for Growing Businesses

What’s the difference between a sinking building and a stable building? It comes down to the foundation. How a foundation is laid, and the materials used to do so will have a considerable impact on the durability of a building. In the same way, your marketing foundation will affect your business’s growth, sustainability, and lifespan. The most crucial part of this foundation is having a strong marketing leader in-house. But, when is the best time to bring in a marketing leader? (more…)