So…you’ve done your homework.
You’ve developed a first-class logo and established a memorable brand. You’ve differentiated your product or service from the competition and have an active (and successful) marketing strategy. People are learning your story and clients are lining up. Sales are up, profits are up and your company is growing.

Wow! Now you can take a vacation! Right?

Wrong.
Everyone deserves a vacation, but your brand can’t afford one. While you’re riding the wave, you need to keep vigilant. Brand building is a marathon, not a sprint. To keep at the top of the game, you have to make a company-wide commitment to innovation.

Why innovate? Won’t keeping the status quo keep your profits and sales steady? Reality is…sales may hang steady for awhile, but they will eventually decline.

The reasons are simple:
1) Your competition will learn (and steal) from you.
They may do this intentionally or unintentionally. Part of it is happens naturally when ideas are exchanged and improved upon. This is good. It makes the product / service better for the customer. Part of it is laziness and thievery. This is good too…it forces you to innovate and make your product / service better for your customer!

2) Satisfied customers don’t make noise. They quietly enjoy your product or service until something new and more innovative comes along. You’ll lose them for no other reason than boredom.

The more innovative you are, the less you have to worry about your competition. You will always be a step ahead of the copycats.

Look, Listen, Learn…and Profit
Once you’re selling your product or service, you need to listen. This is fun, because the client will always surprise you. You may develop a product or service that you THINK the client wants, only to find out that what you thought was important to them..well…isn’t.

Or, better yet, you may find that they use your product or service differently than you ever imagined. This is good too…it gives you the opportunity to innovate in directions that leave your competition in choking in the dust.

Our Favorite Story of Surprise
Fuelhaus favorite story of surprise comes from a project that we took on for Walter Andersen Nurseries. In the beginning, we designed their newsletter as an expense. We had no idea is would become their primary source of advertising.

When we began the newsletter, giant garden centers were moving into San Diego. Walter Andersen Nurseries wanted to be ready for them. Afterall, the big name garden centers had huge advertising budgets and if Walter Andersen was to compete, they had to innovate.

Walter Andersen Nurseries may not have monsterous advertising budgets, but they have unparalleled knowledge and expertise in San Diego. We decided that a comprehensive newsletter was an innovative way to remind customers that Walter Andersen is local and cares about local things…and is the San Diego gardening expert.

In the beginning, we figured that the newsletter would be an expense with little return on investment (ROI). We figured that, while breaking even each issue from coupon and event sales would be a bonus, the cost because brand building was the primary goal.

We printed 1500 2-color newsletters and listened. The second mailling grew to 3,500 and within two years, the mailing list was at 7,500+. Walter Andersen decided to decrease print and broadcast budgets and invest in a 4-color newsletter because the quarterly “Garden Chatter” was better at reaching Walter Andersen’s customers. (Afterall, everyone who gets a newsletter asked for it by signing up at the store.)

Four years later, circulation is 24,000+. Walter Andersen Nurseries give San Diego something that big name garden centers cannot and the newsletter personifies why they’re different. It reminds readers of their unique story (or as we like to call it, brand); creates publicity; spreads goodwill; builds a stronger gardening community and oh…did we mention…brings in a 20%+ return rate.

Lesson Learned
You need to watch your business and empathize with your client. Is there any way to make the product/service that you offer more enjoyable for your customer? Is there any way to make this process more profitable so that you can pass the savings on to the client? Listen, learn, and innovate. It will keep you (and your brand) fresh.

Brand is more than a logo.
It’s what people see, think and feel about your business.

_Kellie Schroeder, Fuelhaus Wünderwoman