Branding—A Necessity To Stand Out & Prosper
Everyone is familiar with different brands, especially from larger companies such as Starbucks, Nike, Coke, Pepsi, Domino’s, and Levi’s. Many people, however, are confused by the term and tend to think that branding is just advertising. This is where they are wrong. Branding is much more than advertising.
Wikipedia defines branding as:
“a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the use of the product or service and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to the product and serves to create associations and expectations around it. A brand often includes a logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, and sound, which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.”
According to the article, “What Is Branding and How Important Is It To Your Marketing Stragey,” found on About.com, there are several objectives that a good brand will achieve:
- Delivers the message clearly
- Confirms your credibility
- Connects your target prospects emotionally
- Motivates the buyer
- Concretes User Loyalty
What most people don’t realize is, that everything about your company sends a message. Whether it is a clean professional company uniform shirt an employee is wearing, a courteous greeting from an installer, a clean company vehicle driving down the road with a promininent logo and web address, a neat and tidy showroom displaying company products, an apology when a mistake is made with a resolution to the problem, etc. It is the combination of all of these things, and more, that create an emotion and perceptions in the mind of your customers.
It is also important to keep your branding consistent. Visuals, such as display ads, or a website should have the same feel along with a signature logo, color, font, etc. and be displayed where ever possible. Repetition is key.
I know, at PGC, we work hard everyday to create a positive perception and imprint for our customers. How does your company stack up in the branding department?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Business, Company, Marketing on June 14th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Choosing The Right Color
As a fabricator of natural stone countertops, we often get asked the question, “What are the hot new colors for granite countertops, or what are the latest color trends?” With more granite colors available each year, this question however, gets a little bit harder to respond to. We for sure know what colors we sell the most of. Some other colors sometimes seem to be sold in streaks and are “hot” for a certain period of time.
Our Top 10 color program, includes colors that have consistently sold well over time, which we offer at a reduced rate. While many consumers are drawn to these colors, others may want something unique and different—something they won’t find common to every home. With more and more granite colors available each year, the possibilities are numerous.
If you are interested in researching color choices for various areas of your new, or remodeled home, an organization called Color Marketing Group, provides some great information. They are an organization made up of color professionals that track color trends.
The article, “Colors That Clients Want,” found in the May 2007 issue of Qualified Remodeler magazine also contains some great information.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite on June 12th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Unplug And Unwind!
I recently came across, “Start a Media Diet,” in the June 2007 issue of Body + Soul magazine, that caught my eye and had some good points. 
In today’s world, we are constantly being bombarded with the media. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and sometimes hard to get a break from all of the computers, cell phones, TV, e-mails, etc. coming at you all of the time.
In the article it stated that, “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, we’ll spend a total of 65 days this year watching TV, 41 days listening to the radio, a week reading a daily newspaper, another listening to music, and just over a week surfing the web—for a grand total of nearly five months. That’s a lot of media!
I just got back from a relaxing weekend at the cabin last evening, where there was no TV, no e-mail, no computer and I just so happened to forget my cell phone charger. My children had their own plans, so there was also no kids. (A nice break after the previous weekend up there with way too many kids.) I was able to relax, go on a few walks, enjoy the lake, get in some water skiing and do a little reading.
Maybe next weekend I purposefully forget my cell phone charger.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Business on June 11th, 2007 by Barb | | 2 Comments
Service Is Everything!
I recently read the article, “Service after the sale,” published in the May 2007 issue of Stone Business magazine, which reinforced our philosophy at PGC. While we strive every day to be the best at what we do, fabricating and installing granite countertops, we are not perfect. 
On occasion, mistakes are made. We, however, take pride in the fact that when there is a mistake, or problem, we do our best to correct it in a timely, efficient manner.
In the article, the author said to “Take care of the little problems before they become very large headaches and detrimental to your reputation. We all should know that good word travels, but a bad word travels at the speed of sound.” Isn’t that the truth!
At PGC, you can count on our Customer Service from start to finish. Check out some of our testimonials to find out what our customers are saying about us.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Business, Company, Granite on June 7th, 2007 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Should I Worry…
It is a common misconception in the building and remodeling industry that granite countertops harbor more bacteria than other surfaces. Unfortunately, the engineered (man-made) stone industry has used misleading marketing tactics to persuade the end user into believing this false information. Paramount Granite Company works hard to educate the consumer on care and maintenance, color selection, FAQ’s, and ”Truth in Advertising“.
I was recently on the Marble Institute of America’s website and found some very compelling information regarding a study that has been conducted to prove the cleanabilty of granite. 
“The findings of the report show significant cleanability advantages of natural granite countertops over almost all other commonly found countertop surface materials.” While this may not be surprising to those who are educated on the benefits of granite, it may be a surprise to those who have been exposed to the myths and misconceptions of owning granite countertops.
One of the great joys of having granite countertops is the experience of sharing family meals and experiences together in the kitchen. With proper education, you can be rest assured that your family will be safe and healthy as you experience these lasting memories together.
Feel free to share…
Angie
Posted in Granite, Industry News on June 6th, 2007 by Angie | | 0 Comments
