Creatives Create Too Many Brands Online!

People often will tell me that my work is self-referential - and usually I think that is a compliment - that I learn lessons from my own work and then move those lessons out into the work I offer clients.  Right now I am learning a lesson of the overly creative business owner.  I have too many names, too many products and too many ideas and over time they have taken on a life and brand of their own.  So what is one to do?

For me it it a matter of making time.  I have the skills and wherewithal to fix this - Ariete Consulting is, after all a Marketing and Technology firm.  We regularly facilitate sessions with our customers to pinpoint appropriate strategies and aligned messaging to make the chaotic simple and meaningful.  So that is the first step for me.  Below is an outline of the way we are approaching the problem and way we might facilitate a brand simplification with one of our customers.  If this is your challenge - perhaps you will find some value in the process.

1. Make a list of all the online places where you, your company (or companies), products and services are referenced.  

• What websites do you have for yourself personally and for your company? 

• What social media sites do you use or have public profiles listed?

• Don't forget to do a Google or DuckDuckGo search to find the ones you have forgotten about.

2. Make another list of all the products, services, ideas or concepts that you are committed to having accessible online in some way.

• Are there products or services or ideas that you would like to remove or transition?

• Are there new ones that you just know are coming in the next 6 months - but don't have anything uploaded about yet?  Include all of them!

3. Take a look at your second list and categorize these some.

• Do they go together is some way?

• Does the sale of one of them interfere with the sale of another? 

• Do you gain or lose credibility or advantage by combining or separating them?

• Does it just make sense for some of these ideas or products to be separated from one another?

4. Make a third list of the sites or locations online that you are committed to keeping.  

• Consider your second list, where should these live really?  Can you reduce the number of websites or domains that you have and still effectively market and sell your products or spread your ideas?

• Create an intention for each of these that you decided to keep.

5. Now go back to your second list of products, ideas, services, etc. and organize these into the list of sites or other online locations you are committed to keeping.    

• As much as possible - try to ensure that each one has a primary place and that if it is referenced in other places, it is intentional and it creates advantage for that product or idea.  

• Cross linking your services or ideas can be very beneficial - but only when you are not breaking you brand.  Make sure you are not confusing people who are looking for what you have.  They shouldn't have to work to determine the right name or person to buy from... when you sell CocaCola, it is known that all stores will carry it - but if they think the idea or product is unique - they will spend time trying to determine they are in the right place... make it easy for your visitors!

Next steps may be harder than making the decisions - but at least you should have the organization and the intentions identified and well thought-out. Don't forget when you are changing all your existing sites, pages or domains that significant numbers of people may have these links already - be prepared to do the technical configuration it may require to point these links to the new proper place. If you don't know how to do that - get the help you need - otherwise you may find that your simplification process really deteriorated your reach to your market. Best of luck!

Need help with your branding or your online presence?  Contact Ariete Consulting and let us help you target and message your work in a way that makes the difference you are committed to!

Find Mary Online! 

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