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Creating a Category of One

Building the perfect brand centers on finding those precious elements that truly separate your business from the competition. You need to be able to not only communicate what it is that you do and the service or product that you provide, but why your customers should choose you over every other option available to them. The word "Only" is hugely important in the world of marketing for that very reason - it helps you accomplish both of those goals at the same time.

The Power of "Only"

Fill in the blanks in the following sentence:

"Only [your brand] delivers [relevant benefit that nobody else provides in quite the same way you do] to [your target audience]."

Once that sentence is complete, you'll notice two very important things. First, that you've arrived at the perfect framework through which to build your brand for the best results. Everything that you do in marketing should center around this one simple and focused idea, that nobody does what you do in quite the same way that you do it.

Secondly, you now have a beautifully simple way to communicate what it is that only your brand brings to the table for the customers that you're trying to reach. You've just built a brand and successfully created an important category where you stand alone from everyone else all at the same time.

The Success of "Only" and Creating a Category of One

To get an idea of this in motion, consider the example of Volvo. To fill in the previous sentence with information related to that brand, you might say that,

That simple, brand promise is one of the many reasons why Volvo is one of the most successful businesses in its industry today. Not only is it both understandable and believable, but it's also unique and does an excellent job of differentiating Volvo from the rest of the pack. It's immediately compelling in that it focuses on the natural concerns of parents, and is admirable because it's making a promise regarding the safety of children.

In one simple sentence, Volvo has told you everything you need to know about who they are, what they do, why they do it, and why you want them to be a part of your life. Now you need to do it, as well.

By creating a category of one for your business, you not only have the framework through which to craft your brand, you also have the perfect form for that message to ultimately take as it reaches the masses. Remember, you know that only your brand delivers one or more particular benefits to your target audience - it's a large part of why you got into the business in the first place. Now, it's time for your customer to know this, too. That is where the word "Only" will come in handy again and again.



Brand Aid: A Quick Reference Guide to Solving Your Branding Problems and Strengthening Your Market Position
by Brad VanAuken

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Branding is more than a great logo. A brand is the essence of an organization - its DNA - impacting its continual success. It is absolutely essential to get it right. Brand managers, marketers, and executives have long turned to this trusted guide to troubleshoot their branding problems. Written by an acknowledged expert with 30 years of experience building world-class brands, Brand Aid covers topics ranging from research and positioning to brand equity management and architecture strategy.

Eco Friendly

Eco-friendly promotional products are good for the environment and good for getting your message across to your target audience.

Tradeshows

Promotional items that endorse your business are great items to give away at tradeshows. They offer endless opportunities to get your message across to new audiences.

Corporate Gifts

Show employee appreciation and build company morale. Items such as flash drives, picture frames, desk accessories and computer mice make great employee gifts.

New Products

View our newest promotional products! We are constantly adding new items to our 300,000+ inventory to give you fresh and up-to-date choices every day.

Awards

Awards and recognition gifts say thank you to employees for a job well done. We carry awards, plaques, trophies, ribbons and much more.

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Promotional Products

We carry promotional items such as eco-friendly gifts, awards, corporate gifts, new products and tradeshow items.

Business Stationery

Our business card program streamlines your order process yet gives you complete control over your content. Letterhead, envelopes and pocket cards too!

Occasion Cards

We carry holiday and occasion cards, moving announcements, thank you notes and more. Customize your cards with logo imprints and other options!

Memos & Notepads

We print company phone pads, note pads and forms in various sizes. Personalize them with your company logo, names and contact information.

Programs & Announcements

Full color announcements and programs for fundraisers, trade shows, banquets and agendas. We also foil stamp, emboss and die cut.

Brochures

We print full color single to multi-sheet newsletters, product sheets, tri-folds, rack cards, handouts and promotional literature.

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Offset Printing

We print items such as business stationary, brochures, occasion cards, memos & notepads, programs and announcements.

Tips & Tricks

Design and tech tips to make designing your job a little easier, marketing tips to assist your advertising efforts and print tips for faster, less expensive buying.

Tutorials

Check out our video on how to sign in to your account and place orders online.

Printing Terms

Look here for a glossary of the most common terms in the printing industry.

Templates

Find different templates to design your full-size banners.

FAQ's

How do I send a file? How do I save a document as a PDF? What is a CMYK color format? Answers to your most frequently asked questions.

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Tips & Tricks

Design and tech tips to make designing your job a little easier, marketing tips to assist your advertising efforts and print tips for faster, less expensive buying.

Presentations

Pitch books and investment books help you communicate your message with PowerPoint presentations, graphs, and charts. Custom binding and tabs available.

Manuals

We can print 1-5000+ copies of your training, safety and operational manuals and technical documents. Full color, B&W, binding, inserts, index tabs, even lamination.

Black and White Copies

Our high-speed, high quality B&W laser printers produce crisp, clean copies of legal documents, RFP's, variable data, digital output of files, manuals and more.

Archiving

Do you need digital scans of your important documents? Letter, legal, 11 x 17, oversize? We can PDF your documents or OCR scan your files to create searchable, editable text files.

Color Copies

Our high-quality digital color presses turn out beautiful invitations, flyers, brochures, newsletters, rack cards, coupons and more. We can also print large format prints and maps.

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Digital Printing

We print B&W and color copies of presentations, product sheets, manuals, newletters, brochures, postcards and more. We also do archival scanning.

Maps & Prints

We print oversized, digital prints of well-logs, operational flow charts and pipe line maps. Turn your maps and prints into digital files for emailing and archiving.

Banners

Full color, affordable, retractable banners make great trade shows displays, point of purchase signage, directional signage and outdoor vinyl banners.

Oversize Scans

We scan large format documents such as well-logs, engineering plans and maps to digital files. Your PDF digital scans can be easily archived to CD.

Posters

Our digitally printed posters and prints are exceptional, with crisp, vibrant colors and photographic quality. Custom stock, mounting and laminating available.

Event Signage

Catch people's attention with color signage! We produce banners stands, pop up and hanging displays, full color table covers and tabletop displays.

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Large Format Printing

We print event signage, maps, banners, well-logs, posters, prints and more. We also do oversize scanning.

Eco Friendly Tradeshows Corporate Gifts New Products Awards ? Promotional Products Promotional Products Business Stationery Occasion Cards Memos & Notepads Programs & Announcements Brochures ? Offset Printing Offset Printing Tips & Tricks Tutorials Printing Terms Templates FAQ's ? Tips & Tricks Tips & Tricks Presentations Manuals Black and White Copies Archiving Color Copies ? Digital Printing Digital Printing Maps & Prints Banners Oversize Scans Posters Event Signage ? Large Format Printing Large Format Printing Send A File Forms Factory My Jobs Place Order Request Estimate