Purpose lifts us at the end of the day beyond the tasks we have accomplished and the goals we have achieved to the belief that we have not just added value, but we've achieved something of significance in pursuit of something greater. This is perfect episode for anybody who's in a leadership position. It's perfect right now for organizations who are finding the need to adapt what they're doing and align new things in an economic crisis and during COVID-19 with their purpose. Get clarity for your purpose, vision, and marketing message at Aespire.com/storybrandConnect with Brian Sooy on LinkedIn or Twitter

Everybody Brands with Brian Sooy

Three Dimensions of Purpose, Leadership, and Culture

In this episode of the Everybody Brands Podcast we have a conversation with Wes Gay about how we should define a brand and what a marketer or business owner focus on now, especially in uncertain times: branding or marketing. Wes Gay is the founder of Wayfinder and a StoryBrand Certified Guide & Copywriter. Wes’ experience as a former pastor gives him the empathy and credibility to help leaders create a clearer message for their companies using the StoryBrand Framework.Wes worked in churches and nonprofits for 10 years, including running a thrift store.  Wes began his journey to entrepreneurship the way many of us do: He had been unemployed for about six months and couldn't get anywhere after coming out of a difficult kind of church experience. Little did he know three and a half years later being a copywriter and marketing consultant would become his real job. While Wes and Brian approach their work from different backgrounds, both guide companies integrate and implement the StoryBrand framework, a storytelling and marketing model that is proven to help any business or brand to create clear messaging and grow through consistent implementation.Wes and Brian talk about how we should define a brand and the interplay between the disciplines of branding and marketing.“How we talk about ourselves in the verbal version of branding is something that a lot of smaller and big businesses struggle to figure out. Most branding agencies only focus on the visual stuff. How are you going to talk about yourself in a way where people care, and people understand either the problem you solve or the solution you provide?”Connect with Wes Gay atWesGay.comWes Gay on LinkedInThis episode is brought to you by Websites Made Simple.  Download a free ebook, 8 Things Every Website Needs to Engage Customers, to find out what simple changes you can make so your website helps you grow your business and make more money.

Uncertain Marketing in Uncertain Times: A Conversation with Wes Gay

David Lemley has had a creative and strategic hand in shaping some of the world’s most iconic brands including Starbucks, REI, Pampers, and Nintendo. As the Founder and Chief Strategist of Seattle-based Retail Voodoo, David is on a mission to help better-for-you brands win customer’s hearts, minds, and souls. He partners with marketers, investors, and founder-owners to unlock the power of their brand’s promise to engage consumers, spark innovation, identify opportunity, and drive exponential growth.This episode is brought to you by Aespire Websites Made Simple, the visual website builder that helps you build a professional site that grows with your business.David Lemley published his first book, Beloved and Dominant Brands: The Brand Ecosystem that Drives Better-for-you Brands from One of Many to Category Prominence, a highlight of the very first model David and Retail Voodoo uses in their brand strategy development process.Some of the questions David and Brian discuss include:In an age where people care more about “what's in it for me,” are you finding that consumers are still really tied in with the “Why?”Based on industry and a culture perspective, how do you define branding?What are some of the myths that you encounter around branding?What do you tell someone who doesn't believe their brand is a valuable business asset?How can a business and brand do a better job of using story to keep promises?As you listen, you’ll learn about a mutual colleague whom David counts as a major influence on his thinking and interviews in Beloved and Dominant Brands.Find David Lemley and his work at:Retail-voodoo.comBuy Beloved and Dominant Brands: The Brand Ecosystem that Drives Better-for-you Brands from One of Many to Category Prominence on Amazon.Find podcast host Brian Sooy at Aespire Branding and Marketing, LinkedIn, and Amazon.

Beloved and Dominant Brands: A Conversation with David Lemley

 “Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing people.” — Peter Drucker It’s no wonder business leaders struggle with marketing. Spend any amount of time listening to podcasts and ”experts” and you‘ll hear conflicting advice, confusing jargon, and a jumble of terms that make you wonder why you bother to try marketing at all. IN this conversation with Dennis Hahn, we'll explore branding, experience, why shared values are key to building a tribe, and more — including the difference between branding and marketing, and why they matter, As chief strategy officer at Liquid, Dennis is responsible for the methodologies that Liquid uses to address the strategic challenges of our clients. Dennis leads teams of strategists across all of Liquid’s offices, providing expertise, mentoring and consulting on a wide range of significant strategic branding initiatives for clients that include John Deere, HP, Microsoft, Motorola, Nasdaq, PayPal and Walmart. Dennis’ background and training as a designer gives him a design thinking perspective that gives him the insight and expertise to help organizations enculturate their brands with their employees and customers. Working with the leadership teams of companies like Microsoft, Intel, Symantec, SAIF and Mercy, Dennis has provided his expertise to create alignment and commitment to organization-wide brand culture programs. Find Dennis Hahn at Liquid Agency , LinkedIn, and Twitter. Get in touch with host Brian Sooy, brand strategist and president at Aespire, and StoryBrand Certified Marketing Guide. Music in this episode is the track, Wrong, by Dan Henig on Youtube Audio.

The Interplay Between Branding, Storytelling, and Marketing

If you’re a board member or nonprofit leader, this two-part episode of Everybody Brands is one to which you need to listen, to understand why your digital strategy needs to be part of your entire organizational structure. All businesses need to be managing their digital resources, but It's like a “spaghetti of things.” What many leaders neglect is that just like if you have a campus of buildings, somebody has to manage that campus. You probably already have an ecosystem of digital tools that you're using and somebody needs to be keeping an eye on those resources. It is a critical function to get the most out of those resources and ensure that they’re used properly to strengthen and connect the entire organization. Get more insights for strategy and thriving organizations at Aespire.com

Part Two: How Strategy Helps Organizations Thrive in the Digital Age

When communications consultants say things like, ”Nonprofits don't want to do the work that we need them to do and they don't realize how important strategy is;” and nonprofit leaders say, “Strategic planning is not helpful and annoying and takes up too much time,” it's time for an intervention. Just how important is strategy, and why is it the first principle in Aespire’s Clarity Credo for purpose-driven brands and culture? If you’re a board member or nonprofit leader, this two-part episode of Everybody Brands is one to which you need to listen. This episode of Everybody Brands is a conversation between host Brian Sooy and Sarah Olivieri from Pivot Ground. Sarah is a nonprofit strategist with a passion for helping organizations thrive in the digital age. Sarah introduces us to her business framework, the Impact Method, that gives you a strategy in less time. We take a step back and talk about how the impact method helps organizations that focus on strategy nurture trust with the people they serve and the people that they're asking for support from.

Part One: How Strategy Helps Organizations Thrive in the Digital Age

Does your brand inspire and engage people? Why not? If your vision and values aren’t clear and communicated at every touch point, people forget why your brand matters. The Clarity Principles are for people focused on growing their company with a culture that attracts and retains customers and talent. The 12 principles of the Clarity Credo are essential values to help you align purpose, communications, relationships, and leadership. In this episode, we talk about the four dimensions of communications and culture and explore how the 12 principles help you nurture a brand and culture that inspires people. “Upholding our brand truths is everybody’s responsibility. If we’re not aware of what our brand represents and if we don’t communicate it clearly, people will fill in the gaps with what they believe—whether it’s true or not.” To download the free Clarity Credo poster mentioned in this episode, subscribe at Aespire.com. Read the original transcript of this episode at blog. Aespire.com

12 Principles for Purpose-Driven Brands and Culture

Trust is a brand asset for which every employee, from the CEO to the front-line team, is responsible. Trust is reinforced when people act and speak in a manner that is consistent with an organization's values, character, and culture. The challenge with trust is that you cannot buy it or force customers to believe your organization is trustworthy. Your brand must work to earn trust. Every interaction is an opportunity to build relationships and nurture trust. In this episode, I explore how being trustworthy impacts major brands like Facebook and Marriot, and how trust will help your organization grow by being more appealing to employees and customers. Read more at Aespire.com

How To Become A Brand People Trust

Your brand embodies the purpose, mission, values, vision, message, and impact of the organization. Leave one out and people fill the gap with what they want to believe. Are you willing to risk that? Understanding how a story works toward making your brand and organization’s personality more believable is essential to unlocking the power of purpose and the potential of your narrative. When we tell ourselves stories about our experience, we are trying to figure out what the brand or organization means to us or how it improves our lives. Read more at Aespire.com

Become A Believable Brand

What defines a Difference Maker? What are the qualities of a Difference Maker? Discover the four dimensions of communication and culture to amplify your voice, deepen knowledge, and expand your impact in the difference you want to make as a business owner or as a nonprofit.

The Qualities of a Difference Maker

Brian Sooy and Marty Neumeier discuss “The Brand Flip,” a whiteboard overview of how customers now run companies, how you can profit from it and create more loyalty with your customers. Download the complete transcript at http://bit.ly/2tDarOo "The Brand Gap." "Zag." "The Designful Company." With each new book, Marty Neumeier re-defines the role of brand and its influence on your customers. The Brand Flip defines how your customers influence (and own) your brand. As often as brand managers and communications like to think a brand is all about an organization (it's not), Marty's insights and experience prove we have a long way to go in truly understanding the discipline of brand management. Read and download the transcript from Aespire.com

Brand Flip: A Conversation with Marty Neumeier and Brian Sooy

Let’s cut to the chase: if your communication initiatives don’t directly align with the objectives or focus from your strategic plan, you’re merely doing busy work. You’re in possession of a to-do list disguised as strategic communications. If you are a smart marketer or business owner who wants to make the best use of your time and limited resources to help your organization communicate, raise awareness, and increase revenue, you can apply these three rules for converting strategy into action. Read more at Aespire.com

3 Rules For Putting Strategy into Action

Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of three books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and Louder Than Words) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work. His book Die Empty was named by Amazon.com as one of the best books of 2013.  His latest book, Louder Than Words, is about how to develop an authentic voice that resonates and creates impact. In this interview, Todd and Brian Sooy talk about impact, why a manifesto is more compelling than a mission or vision statement, and how empathy for your audience helps you connect most effectively with those you're creating for. Visit causemanifesto.com for more resources and content like this. Read more at Aespire.com

Todd Henry on Finding Your Authentic Voice

Be Courageous. We will dream big dreams, and have the courage to change and adapt in order to make our vision a reality. Courage may require that you step into the unknown. It may require difficult conversations. It will require that you find a way to overcome whatever fear is preventing you from taking the next step. Download a FREE POSTER to transform your culture and help you apply the 12 principles of the Cause Manifesto from Aespire.com. Lead your team better when you read the top-rated book for building culture through mission-driven communications. 

The Cause Manifesto: Be Courageous

Be Powerful. We will believe our cause is meaningful, and act in the belief that it has the power to change the world. Power comes from strength: a courageous and engaged board; a confident and competent leader; a clearly articulated purpose; and a mission embodied by the character, culture, and voice of the organization. Download a FREE POSTER to transform your culture and help you apply the 12 principles of the Cause Manifesto from Aespire.com. Lead your team better when you read the top-rated book for building culture through mission-driven communications. 

The Cause Manifesto: Be Powerful

The Everybody Brands podcast helps you build a brand that inspires people to listen, trust, and act so your business grows. Brand Clarity for purpose, character, culture, and voice to help you create a beloved brand. Hosted by Brian Sooy — Brand Strategist, Author, and StoryBrand Certified Guide.

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Everybody Brands with Brian Sooy

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