14 minute read
Advice to Refresh Your Brand and Stay Connected with Your Audience
GETTING BACK OUT THERE How to approach refreshing your brand and connecting with your audience
BY ADAM LANSDELL
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Business owners have a lot on their plates. Sometimes, maintaining a business’s brand can be a bit too much to swallow when it’s accompanied by getting through the dayto-day of business. Long periods of putting your brand on the back burner can leave your business underfed in a competitive landscape.
With businesses of all shapes and sizes currently shuttered to prevent the spread of COVID-19, now is the perfect time to invest in nurturing the foundation of your business — your brand — back to good health.
How do you revitalize a brand that’s gone stale? More importantly, when the crisis is past, will your table be set and ready to welcome your customers back with gusto?
THINK LIKE YOUR CUSTOMERS
Revitalizing your brand should always begin with your customers. Ask yourself: What makes your business special? Is it your customer service, is it your products, is it your brand persona? Why do your customers keep coming back? By reconnecting with what’s important to your customers, you can develop brand messaging that speaks directly to them. Knowing why they’ve stuck around as loyal customers or, just as importantly, why you’ve failed to keep their attention is a vital step in knowing how to refresh and grow your business.
• Social Media. Social media can be a tool for every industry since social media platforms are digital sharing spaces for audiences and communities of all shapes and sizes. Social media can be a great way to develop an audience if you’re starting fresh, and it provides you with unlimited opportunity to speak with your followers. The key with social media is to be there — social media is 2020’s water cooler. Participate in the conversation with your customers in those spaces.
• Blogs. Blogging is still a great way to keep your business communication relevant, and it can be easy on the budget. Ask your staff to use their expertise and opinions to create materials and information accessible to the public on your website. In doing so, you can position your organization as a thought leader within your industry. In addition, you can create great content that can be distributed not only through your website but also through social media, newsletters or influencer marketing campaigns.
• Public and Media Relations. Your business is part of many communities the media is covering. Media relations relies on establishing relationships with journalists and understanding how your business or organization fits into stories they’re likely already telling. Consider the media another audience group within your plan. How can you adjust your messaging or amplify your brand’s actions to be something that would catch the media’s (and their audience’s) attention?
There are a so many ways to get back out there and reengage your customers and communities. Your own will, creativity and the sky are the limits. Start with understanding your brand’s unique position and messages, and work from there to develop the story you want to tell to move things forward. Take some time now to make decisions that will guide your brand back into the spotlight and in front of an audience that is craving more.
Adam Lansdell is a Grand Valley State University alumnus and currently a communications specialist with M3 Group of Lansing. With a passion for all things creative it comes as no surprise that he’s also a musician, movie buff and graphic designer. Adam spends his downtime biking and spending too much of his personal income on concert tickets or vinyl records.
MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND ADJUST YOUR APPROACH
Business is always about constant improvement. Now is a great time to explore your business’s weaknesses and use your insights to inform decisions about what to improve for this new chapter. Perhaps your brand’s logo is dated and doesn’t resonate with your audience the way you intended. Perhaps your business has changed over the years — and with it your audience — making way for new messaging. Maybe your website hasn’t been updated in a long time and your customers aren’t having the user experience they need to come back for more. Whatever it may be, look at what will help improve your brand’s clarity in the marketplace.
GET OUT THERE
Now that you’ve developed a new understanding of your organization’s value to its customers, outlined goals and opportunities, and given your brand that TLC it deserves, you’re ready to reintroduce it to the world.
Here are a few ways you can start getting your brand back out there and what you should consider when doing so.
Pictured left to right: Patty Barnas, Jennifer Marsh, Melanie Squires
Commercial Banking • Treasury Management
BY TERESA FRITH
LARRY CUSHION TROPHIES
Sports teams, clubs and organizations have relied on Larry Cushion Trophies in Lansing to help them celebrate successes for more than 60 years. Lauree Cushion and her sister, Lee Ann, have been running one of the area’s oldest multigenerational businesses for 20 years. Greater Lansing Business Monthly spoke with Lauree to learn more about running the business as well as her thoughts about playing a part in so many celebrations.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS OF MAKING AWARDS AND TROPHIES?
their sporting goods business. They owned and operated it continuously until January 2000 when our mother passed away. At that time, we made the decision to continue operating the business with the help of dedicated staff and family members.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO CREATE THE AWARDS THAT BRING SO MANY PEOPLE SO MUCH PRIDE?
It feels wonderful to be able to contribute our customers’ happiness and to the happiness of the people who receive the awards we have created especially for them. From sports trophies to employee recognition plaques, race medals, friendly family competition awards and more, we know we are part of making something that people can treasure for years.
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY NEW TRENDS IN THE AWARDS DESIGN STYLES?
There have been many changes in our awards since the business began, including the transition from hand-engraved awards to computerized engraving using software that allows us to customize awards in whatever style the customer chooses. Our awards have evolved from wooden trophy bases and plaques with metal figures to a lot of other options including plastic, resin, crystal and acrylic.
WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU ASK CUSTOMERS WHEN TRYING TO COME UP WITH AN AWARD DESIGN FOR THEM?
We ask them to give us as much information as possible about how they wish to honor the recipient of the award. Our engravers are especially good at designing plates to reflect whatever the customer wishes to say.
WHAT KIND OF CUSTOM ENGRAVING AND DESIGNS DO YOU DO?
Our engravers are skilled designers with many years of experience who can create beautiful, meaningful awards tailored to each customer’s needs. In addition to engraving trophies and awards, they can personalize jewelry, unique gifts, keychains, ornaments, watches and more.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR JOB? IS THERE ANY UNIQUE AWARD CREATION STORY THAT REALLY TOUCHED YOUR HEART?
We love being part of peoples’ lives on a very personal basis by creating physical manifestations of their accomplishments and contributing to their happiness. It is gratifying to be able to sometimes see the recipients receive our awards at local sporting events or have their accomplishments featured in publications such as the Greater Lansing Business Monthly magazine.
We are proud to give back to our community by providing medals and awards for competitions that are fundraising events for organizations or for a family honoring the loss of a loved one. We are also proud to be one of Lansing’s longest continuously operating family businesses and a woman-only owned business since 2000.
Larry Cushion Trophies is in the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing. For more information, call (517) 332-1667.
Teresa Frith is a Navy veteran now residing in Nashville, Mich. She's been writing and editing as a freelancer since retiring from the Navy in 2011, where she was a military journalist. She holds a BA in English from Western Illinois University. Her hobbies include reading, writing and working to help stray and feral cats.
We’d like to join our voices with others in thanking the many of you who are essential to the workforce on a daily basis. Whether it’s those in the health fields, the sanitation workers, delivery truck drivers or food industry workers, from the bottom of our hearts we are grateful .
naimidmichigan.com/news Stay up-to-date with NAI on our news page
THE LANSING CHAMBER IS HERE FOR YOU
BY STEVE JAPINGA
The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce understands the insurmountable stress that our business community is currently under as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Navigating through an unknown landscape, researching and applying for loans, and unexpected disruption to our daily lives has undoubtedly created a unique set of circumstances that challenges us all.
The chamber is here for you today and as we move forward. Below are initiatives and activities the chamber team has worked on to continue to relentlessly help our members connect, grow and thrive during this unprecedented time.
COVID-19 RESOURCES
Staff has put together a COVID-19 resource page on our website that is updated around the clock and provides valuable resources and information for businesses and organizations, including:
• Important state and federal updates • Open-for-business section • Business partner resources • Business continuity resources • Unemployment • Best practices • Health resources
SURVEYS
Chamber staff has been using surveys to assess COVID-19’s impact on the Greater Lansing region. This feedback from members and the local business community has been extremely helpful in how we are communicating with them as well as advocating on their behalf with state and federal officials. It has also assisted staff in providing valuable content for our newly created webinar series.
Since several of our events have been postponed and rescheduled, our events team transitioned and established the chamber’s webinar series. These webinars are focused on providing important content and information for our members to utilize for their businesses or organizations. The chamber has offered the following webinars to date:
• Coronavirus and Employers/Employees: New Environment Under Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• U.S. Chamber Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or the “CARES Act”
• Continuity of Business — Key Steps to Sustaining Your Business Through a Pandemic/Crisis
• COVID-19 and Health Care Coverage
• Cybersecurity and Data Protection Plan
• Stay Local. Stay Connected.
• Maximize the PPP Loan
ADVOCACY
The chamber serves as the voice of business on important issues and policies that impact the business community. Our advocacy team has taken the following action to date:
• Advocating for federal relief programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans
• Virtual roundtables/tele-town hall meetings with Michigan U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar, Elissa Slotkin and Tim Walberg addressing the concerns from businesses and organizations.
• Continuing to hold our monthly virtual business roundtables. These roundtables consist of chamber business members as well as public officials from every level of government, including school districts.
Delta Township-Eaton County Lansing East Lansing-Meridian Township
• Established the Lansing Regional Partners, which includes 27 area regional business organizations and key stakeholders that meet weekly to coordinate strategies surrounding COVID-19. The chamber launched the #ShareTheGood campaign, which highlights local businesses that are working together to assist other businesses and organizations in our community during the COVID-19 crisis.
PLAN YOUR WEEK
With the COVID-related closures happening throughout our region, state and country, businesses have taken to the digital world to connect with their clients and promote their valuable services. The chamber launched the “Plan Your Week” communication. This communication is sent out Sunday evenings and helps businesses plan their week of engagements by promoting the upcoming week’s webinars, virtual networking opportunities, business resources and more. Please know the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce is here for you, and we’re here to support our business community to make sure we emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. As we continue during the difficult days and weeks ahead, feel free to reach out to our organization for guidance and support. Now, more than ever, we must stick together.
Steve Japinga is Director of Government Relations for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is responsible for developing and managing the Chamber’s policy priorities as well as monitoring local, state, and federal issues that may impact the business community and the Greater Lansing region. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and lives in Lansing with his wife Katherine and dogs, Charlie and George.
Greater Lansing Business Monthly usually reserves this space to recognize notable business announcements from new hires to awards and ribbon cuttings. For our May issue, we are shifting focus to recognize all of the notable people in our community who stepped up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many businesses were shuttered temporarily, other businesses remained open where essential employees continued to show up for work daily. Some, to manage day-to-day operations from behind the scenes, while others were more visible to the public. We honor them all.
From the thousands of health care workers, police, paramedics, postal and delivery workers, truck drivers, journalists, and food bank volunteers to grocery clerks, scientists, firefighters, restaurant cooks and take out teams, we thank you.
To every person who has worked, volunteered and donated their time, we thank you.
Michelle Reynaert-Vice President, Sparrow Foundation
Superhero Crew Jake Bordner, Edona Kovani and Counta Wilson Ashley Hagen
LPD Kara Freeman, Hannah Robeson and Alina Harrington Sparrow Caregiver Jake Fritz, (center), accepts donations from the Michigan Chinese American Coalition.
Occupational Health Team at Sparrow Hospital
WLNS TV anchor Lauren Thompson
WLNS-TV reporter Araceli Crescencio Lansing Urgent Care Farishta
Saleh and Brendan Pulver
Greater Lansing Food Bank Staffers working to provide food to those in need.
Alliance OBGYN - Debbie Subrook, Trish Lennox, Jenn Spyke, Anna Klaver, Ashley Hamilton and Dr. Sara Cramton
Lansing Urgent Care Okemos team Caitlin Yarbrough, Allison Kohn and Tiffany Osburn Clip Ladies at Lansing Urgent Care Dennis Lemon - Kroger of Holt
Marni Swanson Executive Director of the Holt Community Food Bank and Holt Photographer Sarah Yonkman
Drew Doubleday, Heather Chambers, Lauren Wesolowski and Saba Wagaw - Origami Rehab Divya Venkatesan and Erneststeen Vaughn - Origami Rehab
Jalen Bell, Holt USPS
Joe Thorn, City Carrier, USPS Holt
Relax. Enjoy your event. We’ve got this.
Dave Hahn, Rural Carrier, USPS Holt
www.chasecreative.com Grand Rapids w Lansing w Detroit Promo Code: GLBM 0806
Lansing Fire Captain Dan Salinaz
Peckham staffers practicing social distancing
Ownership. Pride. Responsibility. Your job. Done right.
Seamless, secure project facilitation. From pre-press/graphic design and printing, to bindery and mailing — your project is in-house and under control.
We’re professionals — and it shows in everything we do.
COVID-19 COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Don’t stop communicating with your customers. M3 Group can put together affordable campaigns to keep your customers connected with your business as things evolve. From webinars and livestreams to small business boosts and tools for digital connections, visit the full resource page at m3group.biz/covid-19- community-resources/.
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