Syn-er-gy – The combined effort being greater than the parts.  The working together of two or more people, organizations, or things, especially when the result is greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities. A mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct business participants or elements (as resources or efforts).

Let’s look at this in terms of social media for minute.  Stores start a social media campaign to better communicate with their customers.  They let their customers know that they are on Twitter or Facebook or wherever.  Their customers choose to follow because they want to know what’s going on with your business.  That’s all good but, the only people that follow you are those that know about you and choose to follow you.  What about reaching potential customers?  What do you do to reach people that have never been to your store and maybe don’t even know of your existence?

This is where synergy comes in.  Let’s say your shop is in a plaza where there are several shops.  They could all be clothing stores or they could all be different kinds of shops – it doesn’t really matter.  Each of the shops individually attract 200-300 followers on social media.  If the group of shops combined their efforts and created a platform to reach out to all of their individual customers, think about the number of people each shop could then be reaching.  For example, let’s say there are 10 shops in the plaza.  Each shop has 200-300 followers.  Combining that group of shops would yield a following of 2,000 to 3,000 people.  That’s a huge difference.

Let’s look at one more thing.  By definition, synergy is the combined effort being greater than the parts, especially when the result is greater than the sum of the individual effects or capabilities.  This would lead you to believe that the following of the group then could be more than 2,000 to 3,000 people.  Is that possible?

Absolutely.  You’ve heard the old saying that two heads are better than one, right?  Well, it’s true.  By getting those 10 shop owners together and brain-storming, bouncing different ideas off of each other, the end result has the potential to be amazing.

We’ll talk more about this in posts going forward but I’d like you to really think about the possibilities of synergy in your community.  Let us know what you think?  We’d love to talk about it.

Photo credit:  kln2119

The definition of brand has changed quite a bit over the years.  In the early 1900′s, brand was simply an identifying symbol or mark that distinguished a product from its competitors.  Cattle ranchers, for example, branded their cattle with their symbol or mark.  Each ranchers product (their cattle) could be easily identified by the brand.

Today brand means so much more than that.  Sure, your symbol, your logo is still part of the equation but it really is just a small part.  Your brand is also everything from the feel of your marketing campaigns, the look and feel of your store, the quality of your product or service to the perception your customers have of you and your business.  Your true brand is the unwritten, unspoken promise that you make to your customers about your products or services.  It is the feeling that your customers leave your store with.

What is the feeling your customers have of your business?  Is it what you intended it to be?  Are you unsure of what impression your customers have of your business?  There’s no doubt in my mind that you know what you want your customers experience to be like but are you sure of what their experience has been.

If you haven’t already done it, now is a perfect time to determine what your brand is.  Make sure your store, inside and out, gives the impression you are going for.  Make sure your staff know what you want your brand to say and what your expectations are of them.  Everything that you and your business does, from advertising, to online presence, to communicating with customers should reflect your brand.

If you are just starting out in business, know that developing your brand takes time.  It’s a matter of showing your customers time after time the same experience.  Eventually, they will come to know you as the company that is [insert your brand here].

What does your brand say?

Photo credit:  Erfellie