Common Sense Marketing For Insurance Agencies: BRAND – WHY YOU NEED ONE
Drew Gurley
EVP of Growth | Redefining Insurance FMO Excellence | Championing Experiential Innovation
This is the first in a series of articles for insurance agents and agencies looking to improve and/or expand their marketing efforts. While the Internet has thrown many for a loop—a loop we’ll address in this series—the basic tenets of marketing that worked 50 years ago still work today.
Articles in the series:
Brand may not be the most misunderstood word in business, but it’s close.
Let’s give it a try. Select the right answers to the following question (all that apply):
What is a brand?
Somewhere in this article we will reveal the answer.
You’ve Just Been Hired as CEO of the Dallas Cowboys Replacing Jerry Jones. He Tells You: “Don’t Screw?it?Up.”
What exactly is “it”?
The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable, richest, highest income-producing sports franchise in the world…. And, hasn’t won a championship in almost 25 years!
Yet, in an update to its 2018 rankings of the most valuable sports franchises in the world,?Forbes?estimates the Cowboys are the first franchise in sports history to hit $5 billion in value. And, Dallas was the first franchise to hit $4 billion in value two years ago.
So, as the new CEO, what exactly is “it” you aren’t supposed to screw up?
What’s amazing in all this is—despite not winning a Super Bowl since 1995—the Cowboys are the number one selling brand of merchandise in the NFL, by a wide margin.
Jerry Jones has built a brand supported by every corner of the organization, from finance to operations to marketing and sales. And, yes, occasionally they win world championships. The Cowboys have no equal in sports when it comes to managing their brand.
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So, What Exactly is a Brand?
Think of a brand like a tree. You plant it in hopes it will grow and be beautiful. You plan to water it religiously (just like you promised to walk the dog).
One thing leads to another and a year later you simply haven’t had the time to give your agronomy project the appropriate TLC. While surviving, it’s not thriving. Oh, and now you notice that it’s probably too close to another tree and won’t get the sun it needs.
Your neighbor Bill planted a tree about the same time with much bigger plans in mind. Bill didn’t just want a tree, he wanted to create the most beautiful yard in the neighborhood.
He wanted his yard to make a statement.
Bill’s tree was the anchor for his entire landscaping plan. Along with paying close attention to water, Bill put in place a regular maintenance routine that included fertilizer and pruning. And, he planted it in a spot where it gets full sun all day.
The result: You have a scraggly tree, and Bill had a dream.
A Great Brand Reflects and Supports Your Dreams and Aspirations for Your Business.
Steve Jobs had a big dream as well. He wanted to topple the industry technology giants who, in the early 80s, were, he thought, a wasteland of creativity and vision. He started with computers, then to phones and on and on.
But, to topple giants, he knew great products by themselves would not be enough to build the kind of brand he wanted… a brand that would innovate and dominate.
Big dreams coming from a guy who started in a garage.
The company employed strategies that make Apple the envy of the industry, from design to technology to distribution and service (and what about those Apple stores…wow!).
He wanted more than a computer business, Steve Jobs wanted an innovation dynasty.
Check that off the list.