Brand Tags' Noah Brier: How My Website Took Off
From Late-Night Idea to 3 Million Page Views, Some Tips for Agencies and Clients
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By Noah Brier Published: September 08, 2008
Sorry, but I lifted this from an article I recently read. I thought the idea of a brand being only what other poeple think it is was a pretty interesting concept. I've been told many times that "you are what people think you are", so it makes sense to me that the same type of logic would apply to a brand. Here's what Noah Brier has to say:
Six months ago, in the middle of the night, I had a very simple idea: If brands exist in people's heads, as I believe they do, then shouldn't you be able to ask a whole bunch of people what they think of a brand and then use tag clouds to display the results? After flipping the idea around in my brain for a few minutes, I decided it was a good enough reason to jump out of bed and make it happen. Now, it should be noted that I'm no programming wizard. Only a few weeks before, I had started to teach myself PHP, a not-quite-programming language that allows you to build web applications, and MySQL, an open-source database software. What I did not have is years of building websites and apps, though that didn't matter much, as I quickly discovered through the rapid growth of Brand Tags, as this site would be called. An hour and a half after buying the domain BrandTags.net (the dot-com version was taken), I had a working prototype with nine brands loaded in. It worked just as I had planned: A random logo popped up on the screen and asked you to type in the first word or phrase that popped into your head. After you hit submit, another logo would pop onscreen. Quiet before the stormI showed a few people, but mostly I let it sit collecting digital dust. I talked to a few folks about doing some design work on it or adding features, but mostly it simply sat there in its lonely corner of cyberspace, an idea that might or might not see the light of day. Then May rolled around, and I was feeling guilty for not having written anything on my blog for a while. Rather than spend time finding something to write about, I decided I would release this little experiment as is. I wrote up a post in about five minutes and followed it by sending the brandtags.net link to a few friends as well. And, of course, I announced it on Twitter. This was all on a Friday. Within minutes, the comments started to roll in. Over the weekend, I followed the momentum and continued to make adjustments and add features (including a backward guessing game dreamed up by my girlfriend and user profiles so that I could capture e-mail addresses for follow-up contact). The site was seeing some good traffic, and the tags were piling up. Then, late on Sunday evening, MetaFilter, a super-geeky community/group blog I'm a member of, picked it up. From there it spread quickly, getting picked up by big-time bloggers like Seth Godin and Kottke (the latter of which had always been a kind of secret nerd goal of mine) as well as the ad press. Even the mainstream press got in on the action, with one of the very first mentions showing up on a blog on the Wall Street Journal's website. The momentum only continued from there. Over a single month, the site attracted about 200,000 visitors, totaling around 3 million page views and 1 million tags. For an idea that took me an hour and a half to build, it was an unmitigated success, and I have some fun plans for where to take it moving forward. With that way-more-lengthy-than-I-originally-planned intro behind me, here are a few things I've learned, in no specific order: It's a lot of work: I don't think people realize just how much work it is to actually live the launch-and-iterate mentality. Over the course of a month and a half, I have probably answered 5,000 Brand Tags-related e-mails, made hundreds of small and large changes to the site and commented on about a hundred blogs that wrote about the site. If I didn't have complete autonomy to make any changes or to represent the brand on a moment's notice, I have no idea if the site would have been as successful as it has been. In other words, if you're planning something like this, make sure you and your client have clear communication lines.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Noah Brier is head of planning and strategy at Barbarian Group. He blogs at NoahBrier.com.Nothing beats personal contact: I don't have any proof at all to back this up, but I believe in my heart that Brand Tags wouldn't have taken off if I hadn't responded to each and every e-mail I got. Those e-mails have been from people at agencies, brands, media outlets and everywhere else under the sun. They have been requests to add logos, ideas for new features or just friendly congratulations. My attitude is that if someone takes the time to e-mail me, I should take the time to e-mail them back. It's not always timely and it's definitely not scalable, but it just feels right. After all, without these people I wouldn't have gotten more than 1,000 blog links, nor would I have more than 600 brands in the system (most of them were sent in by people from brands or agencies who found the site). Teach yourself some code: I recently read an article that suggested knowledge of code would be the literacy of the 21st century. I agree. Being able to get a computer to do what you want it to is an amazing strength. All of a sudden you're not reliant on others to bring your ideas to life. And it's really not that hard -- I taught myself in a few weeks without the help of books. As a friend of mine said to me a few years ago, if there's one thing the web knows, it's how to make the web. Any question you have has likely been answered and well documented on one of the thousands (millions?) of sites by and for the people who make the web. Plus, you don't have to be an expert, you just have to be able to bring your ideas to life. Be ready for spam: If there's a way to game the system, people will find it. In the case of Brand Tags, spam is not that big a deal because at the moment it's just for fun (and in a way, tag clouds handle spam very well, because the things said most seldom appear the smallest). However, as I have moved forward I've had to work hard to think about ways to keep the results in as good shape as possible. If you're a brand, this should definitely be something you're considering. What are your contingency plans?
Showing posts with label Brand Awareness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brand Awareness. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Same or Different
What is the difference between one restaurant and another? They'll both serve eggs and home fries in the morning, and burgers and salads at lunch. One of the best ways to differentiate yourself from your competitors is to associate your BRAND NAME with QUALITY. Quality is described as something your customers get from you, that is associated with your product or services, and they see provides a value to them.
Read this month's entire Point of View below, for my take on Same or Different?
This is the time of year when many tool manufacturers spend their weekends talking to an important segment of their business, the mobile tool distributors. I was walking one of the shows recently with a relative newcomer to the business.
He lowered his voice and whispered to me, “Why do shop owners let more than one tool truck stop at their shops during a week?”
I looked at him uncomprehendingly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’ve been coming to these shows and I see all the same people (suppliers) here as the other shows, they just wear a different color shirt. It seems like there should just be one mobile tool distributor per shop.”
“Blasphemer!” I thought to myself. But then, the more I thought about it, I had to ask myself the question and answer it honestly.
It’s common knowledge that many small and large manufacturers supply products to the four mobile distributors under the private brand umbrella. Though each of the mobiles are primary manufacturers of some portion of their product line, the majority of their tools and equipment are sourced from other manufacturers. Some manufacturers sell to one or two of them, but many sell to all four. In some cases, they’ll sell just a small portion of their line to the mobiles, in others, the mobiles will take on a majority of the product line. To further complicate the scenario, the manufacturers also sell to the tool and equipment warehouses across the country. Most of the time, the manufacturers provide the exact same tool to all their customers, the only difference being the 3 P’s of Private Branding: Packaging, Product mix, and Pricing. Occasionally you will find a temporarily exclusive product at one or the other of the mobiles, this is rarely the case with the brick and mortar WDs.
So, back to the original question, “why do shop owners let more than one tool truck stop at their shops during the week?”
For the same reason you have more than one loyal customer. Just as the professional technician associates a quality tool with a certain brand, your customers have come to associate good, quality work with your brand, your company, your people. Don’t you offer the same services and repairs that a similar shop in town can do? Are your prices higher or lower? Aren’t you using the same tools and equipment to diagnose and repair vehicles? If that’s the case, you are no different than the mobile distributors. You just happen to have four walls and a roof around your business instead of sheet metal and tires.
People like to have choices. They like to believe there’s a special reason to choose one tool over another. They don’t want to believe that a screwdriver from Sears could be the same as a screwdriver from Mac Tools or Matco or Snap-on or Cornwell Tools. A purchasing thought process might go like this: “The handle is different. It feels more comfortable. The blade lengths are different. One has a lifetime warranty, one has a 5 year warranty. These are not the same. One is better than the other. That’s why I have to make the right choice.”
Each of the mobile distributors started with just three things: an idea of bringing tools to the individual technician, a product or products they were known for, and their brand name. They began with regional strength and grew nationally and internationally. The important thing to realize is how these four major tool distributors have come to differentiate themselves to their customers. You can learn from their success.
1 – Differentiation begins at the top. As the owner or leader of your shop, you need to set the course for your people. Develop a business philosophy and instill it in all your employees. After you have developed your philosophy for the business, be sure to think about and write out a business plan, with your philosophy as the guiding principle. You need to write a plan that has measurable goals. Know where and how you want to grow your business. Once you have done this, share the information with your people. It is important that they understand what you want to accomplish and how you expect to accomplish it so they can be a part of your success.
2 – Differentiation is carried out by your people. It can be as simple as wearing the same uniform to work every day, delivering a service on-time and as promised, or as complex as you care to make it. But as the leader, you must be sure your people understand and are passionate about what they are providing your customers when they come to work at your shop. They need to understand why you believe all auto repairs in your town should be handled by your shop. I would also recommend you ask your people why they want to work at your shop. This should provide an insight into why they think your shop is better than the rest, and can help you in future planning.
3 – Differentiation must be apparent and provide a value to your customers. Product differentiation is worthless if no one can tell you’re different. It’s equally worthless if the difference between you and a competitor doesn’t matter to your customer. With the right amount and type of differentiation, you can realize your potential for success and maximize your profitability.
Another way to look at your business is with the “3 P’s of Private Brand”. Apply the 3 P’s to your shop:
Packaging: Is your shop clean and tidy? Is the waiting area well-lit and clean? Are you and your technicians in uniforms? Do you wear name badges? Does your advertising tell your story? All these are your packaging.
Product Mix: Are you providing the right product for your customer mix? Are you a specialist (imports, domestic, underhood, brake and front end) or are you a generalist? Product mix is important. Having the right product mix is half the battle of success.
Price: Do you charge a fair price for the work performed? You don’t have to be the cheapest for your customers to know the value of your work. You don’t have to be the most expensive either.
The 3 P’s are part of what makes your shop different from any other in the area. They are a reflection of you and your leadership. Be sure you and your staff are comfortable with them
Why do shop owners let more than one tool truck stop at their shop? Because they know their technicians rely on their tools and equipment to operate efficiently, effectively, and profitably. And, just like your customers prefer some shops over others, each technician has his or her own brand preference when it comes to using professional tools and equipment.
Read this month's entire Point of View below, for my take on Same or Different?
This is the time of year when many tool manufacturers spend their weekends talking to an important segment of their business, the mobile tool distributors. I was walking one of the shows recently with a relative newcomer to the business.
He lowered his voice and whispered to me, “Why do shop owners let more than one tool truck stop at their shops during a week?”
I looked at him uncomprehendingly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’ve been coming to these shows and I see all the same people (suppliers) here as the other shows, they just wear a different color shirt. It seems like there should just be one mobile tool distributor per shop.”
“Blasphemer!” I thought to myself. But then, the more I thought about it, I had to ask myself the question and answer it honestly.
It’s common knowledge that many small and large manufacturers supply products to the four mobile distributors under the private brand umbrella. Though each of the mobiles are primary manufacturers of some portion of their product line, the majority of their tools and equipment are sourced from other manufacturers. Some manufacturers sell to one or two of them, but many sell to all four. In some cases, they’ll sell just a small portion of their line to the mobiles, in others, the mobiles will take on a majority of the product line. To further complicate the scenario, the manufacturers also sell to the tool and equipment warehouses across the country. Most of the time, the manufacturers provide the exact same tool to all their customers, the only difference being the 3 P’s of Private Branding: Packaging, Product mix, and Pricing. Occasionally you will find a temporarily exclusive product at one or the other of the mobiles, this is rarely the case with the brick and mortar WDs.
So, back to the original question, “why do shop owners let more than one tool truck stop at their shops during the week?”
For the same reason you have more than one loyal customer. Just as the professional technician associates a quality tool with a certain brand, your customers have come to associate good, quality work with your brand, your company, your people. Don’t you offer the same services and repairs that a similar shop in town can do? Are your prices higher or lower? Aren’t you using the same tools and equipment to diagnose and repair vehicles? If that’s the case, you are no different than the mobile distributors. You just happen to have four walls and a roof around your business instead of sheet metal and tires.
People like to have choices. They like to believe there’s a special reason to choose one tool over another. They don’t want to believe that a screwdriver from Sears could be the same as a screwdriver from Mac Tools or Matco or Snap-on or Cornwell Tools. A purchasing thought process might go like this: “The handle is different. It feels more comfortable. The blade lengths are different. One has a lifetime warranty, one has a 5 year warranty. These are not the same. One is better than the other. That’s why I have to make the right choice.”
Each of the mobile distributors started with just three things: an idea of bringing tools to the individual technician, a product or products they were known for, and their brand name. They began with regional strength and grew nationally and internationally. The important thing to realize is how these four major tool distributors have come to differentiate themselves to their customers. You can learn from their success.
1 – Differentiation begins at the top. As the owner or leader of your shop, you need to set the course for your people. Develop a business philosophy and instill it in all your employees. After you have developed your philosophy for the business, be sure to think about and write out a business plan, with your philosophy as the guiding principle. You need to write a plan that has measurable goals. Know where and how you want to grow your business. Once you have done this, share the information with your people. It is important that they understand what you want to accomplish and how you expect to accomplish it so they can be a part of your success.
2 – Differentiation is carried out by your people. It can be as simple as wearing the same uniform to work every day, delivering a service on-time and as promised, or as complex as you care to make it. But as the leader, you must be sure your people understand and are passionate about what they are providing your customers when they come to work at your shop. They need to understand why you believe all auto repairs in your town should be handled by your shop. I would also recommend you ask your people why they want to work at your shop. This should provide an insight into why they think your shop is better than the rest, and can help you in future planning.
3 – Differentiation must be apparent and provide a value to your customers. Product differentiation is worthless if no one can tell you’re different. It’s equally worthless if the difference between you and a competitor doesn’t matter to your customer. With the right amount and type of differentiation, you can realize your potential for success and maximize your profitability.
Another way to look at your business is with the “3 P’s of Private Brand”. Apply the 3 P’s to your shop:
Packaging: Is your shop clean and tidy? Is the waiting area well-lit and clean? Are you and your technicians in uniforms? Do you wear name badges? Does your advertising tell your story? All these are your packaging.
Product Mix: Are you providing the right product for your customer mix? Are you a specialist (imports, domestic, underhood, brake and front end) or are you a generalist? Product mix is important. Having the right product mix is half the battle of success.
Price: Do you charge a fair price for the work performed? You don’t have to be the cheapest for your customers to know the value of your work. You don’t have to be the most expensive either.
The 3 P’s are part of what makes your shop different from any other in the area. They are a reflection of you and your leadership. Be sure you and your staff are comfortable with them
Why do shop owners let more than one tool truck stop at their shop? Because they know their technicians rely on their tools and equipment to operate efficiently, effectively, and profitably. And, just like your customers prefer some shops over others, each technician has his or her own brand preference when it comes to using professional tools and equipment.
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